Because of Vesuvius
by Sardixiis
Summary: It had been nearly three years since the tragic attack in the SVU interrogation room that left Olivia with a severe, and permanent, head injury. With the help of her service dog, Suvi, she has finally regained her independence. That alone was more than she'd hoped for, but she was about to gain even more. All because of Vesuvius. Sequel to Finding Vesuvius.
1. Chapter 1 - A Reimagined Life

**Because of Vesuvius**

_Author's Note: You've all been waiting so patiently, so I decided to go with someone's suggestion that I post a few chapters in a row at a time instead of waiting until I was completely finished with the story. I'm about 35 chapters in now, so I figured it was time to start doing that. You'll be getting one chapter a day for 3-5 days before I take a break from uploading. I won't be doing any more revising/editing until I write another 5 chapters of the story. This story wasn't supposed to be as long as the first one, but… yeah. I have no idea how it has gotten so long already. The curse continues apparently. _

_As a second note, this is the sequel to __Finding Vesuvius__. If you haven't read that story, you will likely need to before reading this one or you're going to be incredibly lost. This story picks up around a year after the first one left off. No promises that "Because" is better than "Finding" because I don't think it is, but hopefully you will enjoy it anyway._

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Chapter One – A Reimagined Life

The steady, rhythmic thud of her fists against the bag was soothing. Each impact brought on a sense of strength, something she'd been continually searching for since her injury. It had returned, slowly, though having a physical reminder of that strength was always nice. Olivia struck the bag twice more before stopping and running a quick hand over her forehead to brush back sweat soaked strands of hair. Her hair had reached that annoying length where it constantly got in the way but wasn't long enough to tie back without strands falling free anyway. With her hair back where it belonged, at least temporarily, she lifted her fists and continued her kickboxing.

A sudden amount of extra resistance during one punch startled her and broke her concentration. She glanced up to find one of the regulars holding the bag for her.

"You look good, Olivia," Chris told her warmly.

"Thanks. I feel good."

And she did. A year of regular work outs at the gym had done wonders. It was more than feeling good too. She looked good. There were a few benefits of not working with the NYPD full time. With more time on her hands she was able to get in to the gym more often and was in better shape now than she had been years ago when she had been on the job. The worry, stress, and exhaustion that had dominated her face so often before were gone now too. All it had taken was a brush with death, serious depression, and a furry guardian angel.

"You still going?"

Olivia flashed him a bright smile.

"Yeah, actually."

Chris slipped back behind the bag so he wouldn't get hit as Olivia returned to her attack. A few strikes later and a flicker of creamy gold in her periphery vision caught her attention. Next thing she knew Suvi was standing on his hind legs with his front paws on the bag beside Chris' hands. Her punches faltered and she nearly laughed.

"Looks like someone is a little jealous." Chris eyed Suvi sideways and shook his head. "Has he held the bag on his own before?"

"No, but he learns quickly. If he's seen people do the same thing for me multiple times he'll eventually try it himself."

Suvi always wanted to help. Since they'd been paired he'd become very good at helping her and anticipating her needs. Many times she didn't even need to ask him to do things. This time though she didn't really want him helping out since he could easily get hurt. She pointed to where he'd been before.

"Go lie down and wait."

Suvi huffed but dropped to all fours again before plodding over to where she'd pointed. Satisfied that Suvi was out of the way and back where he should be Olivia returned to kickboxing while Chris continued to hold the bag.

When she'd first started looking for gyms she'd been worried about the response she would receive from other members. The first few months they'd been curious but generally friendly. As time had gone on the curiosity had died down. Everyone was very supportive of her and Suvi, and they checked in with her from time to time. Once in a while someone would even hold the kickboxing bag for her like Chris was. She slowed her punches and brushed her hair out of her eyes again.

"I think I'm good."

"Giving up already?"

Olivia laughed softly and shook her head.

"I've been going for a while now. I could use a break. Thanks for your help."

"Sure. Take care of yourself."

Olivia nodded and called Suvi over. He trotted up to her and sniffed at her sweat soaked legs. She didn't think her legs could possibly smell good since she desperately needed a shower, yet for some reason Suvi always sniffed around at her after a workout. Olivia shied away from his ticklish whiskers and rested a hand on his head. Despite her attempt to still him Suvi caught her off guard when he tried to sniff her legs one more time. When his nose touched her bare skin she high stepped away and barely suppressed a yelp.

"Jeez, Suvi! Stop it."

Olivia shoved his nose away and started toward the locker room. This time Suvi obeyed and walked calmly at her side without trying to enjoy the apparently wonderful smell of sweat and body odor. She grabbed a towel out of her locker and dried off as much sweat as she could before putting on more deodorant for the trip home. It was rare for her to shower at the gym since it was simply easier to shower at home. Plus if she was showering at home Suvi could enjoy himself in the apartment instead of remaining on duty at the gym. After grabbing her bag and clipping Suvi's leash on she headed for the door.

"Have a good day, Olivia," the desk attendant told her on her way out.

She lifted her hand in a wave goodbye and stepped out of the door. The gym was a good distance away from her apartment, but she'd come to know the neighborhood in the past year. Some of the small businesses and residents in the area had come to know her too. Aside from that, Olivia had met one of the women that lived nearby and went to the same gym as her, and they'd become good friends.

Olivia was just about to go down the steps to the subway when her cell phone rang. After stepping to the side to let other people through she tried to find the quietest spot to answer.

"Benson."

She listened for a few moments and then a flicker of surprise crossed her face. The call was a request for a rather high level conference. Almost five months after she'd gotten Suvi Olivia had spoken with the NYPD in hopes of following Bayard's suggestion of becoming a consultant. It hadn't taken long to get the approval thanks to Cragen. When he'd found out she was planning to become a consultant for the department he'd gone to bat for her. After she'd done a few consulting jobs word had gotten out that she had stepped back into the world of sex crimes. Despite the fact that she was no longer a detective her reputation was still solid in the world of law enforcement. Calls had begun flooding in to Cragen which he'd passed along to Olivia. A lot of people had wanted her as a speaker for various events focusing on child abuse, rape, and sexual assault. It had absolutely amazed her and humbled her in a way. She had never in a million years figured she would be sought after as a speaker on the national level. At some point she would take on some of those national sessions, but for the moment she was staying mostly in state. A few times she travelled out of state if it wasn't too far away though. Thankfully she got to decide if an engagement fit with her schedule and she wanted to go. Many of the bigger ones even paid for her transportation and lodging as well as offering a small bonus. It was nice to add to the income she received from consulting.

"If you send me all of the information I'll look into it and see if it will fit into my schedule," she said in response to the conference request.

The location was somewhere she could get to easily enough, so unless the timing wouldn't work she'd be fine to go. Most of her other commitments could be rescheduled, but there were a few she wouldn't want to miss. Aside from her speaking engagements and consulting jobs she'd started volunteering at support groups and the local hospital. Some of the bigger engagements she didn't want to miss even to speak at a conference since she knew the kids and women and how much they looked forward to seeing her and Suvi on a regular basis. Chances were there wouldn't be a problem.

"Yes. That would be great. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

She hung up and looked down at Suvi.

"Looks like we have another speaking commitment, Su."

Suvi's ears pricked and he looked up at her. A moment later he looked down again and contented himself with looking around. Apparently the idea of going to another convention wasn't very interesting to him. Olivia smiled and shook her head in amusement. He never seemed interested in her speaking jobs. The ones related to her volunteering were much better since he got to have people sit and pet him all day.

"Come on, you."

He trotted off down the subway steps with Olivia at his side. With the number of times they'd been to the gym Suvi had learned the route home long ago. Getting to the park from the gym was just as easy, and sometimes when she was really lost in thought during the trip home she'd find herself there instead of her apartment. With how much work she'd put in today she was definitely going to pay attention. A shower was much more appealing than a trip to the park, but he should get over the disappointment pretty quickly. They would be joining Amanda and Frannie in the park tomorrow after all.


	2. Chapter 2 - A Good Kind of Exhaustion

Chapter Two – A Good Kind of Exhaustion

Olivia dropped her head and tried to pour on a little bit more speed, but it just wasn't good enough. Amanda reached the bridge before she did. A few steps later Olivia slowed to a stumbling walk and came to stand with her hands folded behind her head so it was easier to breathe.

"Dang, you're fast."

Even with all of the working out she'd managed to do she hadn't been fast enough to outpace Amanda Rollins. That shouldn't have been that surprising if she'd been honest with herself, but she didn't like to admit how much her age could play into her abilities. Regardless of how hard she worked, she couldn't run faster in her late forties than she could have when she had been in her late twenties.

"I'm also a runner. Always have been," Amanda returned.

"One that's faster than me, that's for sure."

While Olivia still felt like her chest was heaving Amanda didn't even look winded anymore. A quick glance down at Suvi revealed he looked more like she did than Amanda. They both needed a rest.

"Let's sit down and rest. Suvi needs a break."

"Works for me."

The two of them led their dogs off the path and found an open spot on the grass to sit down. Once Suvi realized that's what they were doing he flopped down and sprawled out on his side. Olivia lowered herself down and watched Suvi worriedly. His chest was still heaving, but he seemed okay. Tired, but okay. She stroked his side and saw his eye flicker over to her before his tongue lolled out of his mouth happily.

"Someone's content."

"Someone's exhausted," Olivia corrected.

"Frannie's pretty tired too."

From what Olivia could see that was true. While Frannie wasn't flat out on her side like Suvi she was still lying down and huffing a little. Olivia honestly wouldn't have minded doing the exact same thing. She wouldn't have minded a bottle of water either. Unfortunately the little bag she'd bought to keep Suvi's vest in clipped to her belt wasn't big enough to hold one.

"If I had the energy I'd get us all water, but as thirsty as I am I think the priority is on staying off my feet."

"It was a long run."

"Even so. I feel like I shouldn't be this tired."

Amanda smiled and shook her head in disbelief. She didn't see how Olivia could assume she wouldn't be tired. It had been a pretty hefty workout even for Amanda. Chances were Olivia just didn't like the reminder that she was getting older.

"With what you did I'd be surprised if you weren't. You looked real good."

"It's nice to have someone to run with every so often. Besides Suvi of course."

"That's why this works so well."

Olivia laughed softly. Meeting up in the park did work really well for them. They would either spend the outing running or use the day for their dogs. Frannie and Suvi could spend an entire afternoon playing together in the park. Once they regained some energy Olivia was pretty sure they'd be up rough housing or racing around this time too. Already Suvi was starting to stir a little bit. It wouldn't be long before he was up and ready to go.

"Have you been called in recently?"

Amanda's question drew Olivia's attention away from Suvi.

"Not recently. At least not with the department. I've gotten in more in counseling centers and hospital groups lately though."

"Yeah?"

"Mm. It's fun. These kids and women could really use a moment of happiness and peace. With Suvi's help I can actually do that."

"Best part of the job. Don't have as much of the pain either," Amanda returned.

"There's still a lot of pain, but you're right. It's not as bad."

At least doing what she was now she knew she was helping. She was no longer limited by the system either. Instead of needing to get full stories with accurate details she could simply listen to what someone wanted to share. Many times she could sit back and watch the magic happen. Just like the dogs had reached into her soul before her training began, Suvi could reach into the souls of these victims. The look of peace came over their faces rather quickly.

"From the look on your face I'd say it's better than not as bad," Amanda teased.

Olivia's eyes had been locked on Suvi for a long time. Even now there was still a tiny flicker of a smile on her face and a warm expression from pride, love, or probably both. Her eyes finally came away from Suvi and rested on Amanda.

"You win."

Amanda flashed her a smile that Olivia returned broadly. She truly enjoyed her "job" now. When she looked back down at Suvi he was gone. Almost immediately panic stabbed through her. Olivia came up on one knee and whipped around in a desperate attempt to find him. Her heart pounded wildly until her eyes settled on Suvi. He and Frannie had gotten up to play while she'd been answering Amanda.

"Breathe, Liv. He's right here," Amanda soothed.

"I know. I know…"

"I can't see him ever leavin' you. Every time he gets up he checks in on you."

Olivia nodded. That was more than true. Whenever he wasn't right by her side Suvi was always careful to keep a close eye on her and wander back to her side every now and again. She'd known that even when she hadn't been able to find him, but the panic had set in anyway. Nothing could have prevented that. Her body had simply reacted to his absence.

Both women settled their eyes onto the two dogs busy romping together in the grass. They were chasing each other around in circles and nearly jumping on top of each other. As they were playing Suvi got his front paws on top of Frannie's back. She yelped and bolted away with Suvi dashing after her. As their game of tag continued Olivia couldn't help laughing.

"I wish I regained my energy that fast still."

"Do I need to get up so you have someone to play tag with too?"

"No. Definitely not. Sitting down and watching is fine with me."

And it was. Not only was she still somewhat tired from their run she really enjoyed watching Suvi play. It was even more entertaining when he had another dog to play with. Suvi could be such a goofball.

"Good. I wasn't sure I wanted to get up either."

Olivia laughed softly.

"It doesn't hurt to be lazy every once in a while."

"Don't think it counts as lazy when we ran a few miles."

"Maybe not." When Amanda's phone went off Olivia sighed. "Looks like your moment of pretend laziness is over."

Amanda pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen which revealed Cragen's name.

"It looks like it."

She answered, and Olivia diverted her attention so Amanda didn't feel like she was listening in. It wasn't like she didn't know what the call was about anyway. Chances were Amanda would be leaving when she hung up. The look on Amanda's face when she put her phone down said it all.

"Heading in?"

"Yeah. A guy that got out on bail attacked again."

"Go get him then."

It was one of the things Amanda liked about spending time with Olivia. The other woman understood that she could be called in at any time. Plans could be cut short or cancelled completely. Olivia always sent her on her way with a similar message. Whoever this person was, get them off the streets. No questions were asked, no disappointment shown.

"Come on, Frannie. Time to go."

Unlike Olivia, Frannie was not as understanding. When Amanda called to her she slowed to a stop and her tail and head dropped. They really hadn't had much time to play. Despite her disappointment she headed over to Amanda and let her clip the leash on.

"I'll give you a call when I know when my next open day is," Amanda told Olivia once she was ready to go.

"Sounds good to me."

Even though she was working more now Olivia wasn't worried about finding time to spend with Amanda. Her schedule was pretty flexible and she wasn't that busy. They could typically find time to meet every few weeks without trouble. As Amanda headed off Suvi returned to Olivia's side and dropped beside her in the grass. She rubbed at one of his ears before letting herself lean back too, resting her full weight on her elbows. Lying down in a quiet part of Central Park and gazing up at the dancing light flickering through the leaves was one of the most peaceful places in New York that Olivia knew of. Standing on the beach and staring out at the rolling waves and distant horizon could be just as peaceful, but typically there were more people there than at Central Park. Or at least more within view.

Suvi shuffled closer and dropped his head down onto her chest. He pressed more weight against her as he relaxed, and Olivia gave in and lowered herself down onto her back. Suvi wagged his tail in approval since he was in a much more comfortable position now that she was lying down flat. Olivia laughed softly and rubbed at his ears. When he wanted something he definitely let her know. Usually he ended up getting what he wanted too. Olivia had to admit that when he was off duty Suvi was a little bit spoiled. With everything he did for her she didn't think it was right to withhold a few extra ear rubs or rounds of hide and seek. He deserved them and quite a bit more.

They stayed that way for some time with Suvi's head on Olivia's chest and Olivia stroking his fur. Between the two of them Suvi was the first one to notice they had a guest. His head shifted slightly but not enough to cause Olivia to look up. It wasn't until a voice broke into her thoughts that Olivia actually noticed they weren't alone.


	3. Chapter 3 - Another Door Opens

Chapter Three – Another Door Opens

"He's a beautiful dog."

Olivia snapped to attention and sat up in a shot, disrupting Suvi in the process. A few years off the job and she'd lost a lot of her awareness of her surroundings it seemed. Nobody would have surprised her like that before. Apparently she needed to start paying a little bit more attention.

The man that had spoken was beaming down at her with the type of smile she almost couldn't help returning. It was that exact reason that made her a bit wary. A "normal person" wouldn't think much of it, but with the experience Olivia had she knew that many times the most dangerous predators had the most charming smiles.

"He is," she returned.

It probably wasn't as enthusiastic of a reply as he'd been hoping for, but Olivia had at least tried to hide her wariness. Personally she thought she'd done a decent enough job, but she could see his smile slip momentarily. While Olivia was still a bit uneasy, Suvi saw nothing wrong with this stranger. He glanced at Olivia briefly before turning his attention back to the man that had spoken. Since he wasn't officially working at the moment he didn't see anything wrong with going over and saying hello, especially since it would only be a few steps away from Olivia. Suvi was almost instantly rewarded as the man knelt down and started petting him. Olivia was slightly surprised. Suvi almost never went up to greet someone without verbal approval from her, working or not.

"What's his name?"

Olivia shook off her surprise so she could answer.

"Suvi."

"Suvi, huh? Do you like that, Suvi? Does it feel good?"

The answers to those questions appeared pretty obvious to Olivia. Suvi was leaning into the petting while still gazing up at his new friend with his tongue hanging out and the happiest look on his face. He was going to sit there and milk every ounce of attention he could get. Unfortunately for him there wasn't much more coming. His new friend's attention soon went to Olivia.

He moved toward her and held out his hand.

"I'm Ben."

Not wanting to be rude, Olivia offered her hand and name in return.

"May I join you?"

"Ah…" What was she supposed to say to that? If she wanted to be polite "no" wasn't really an option even though that's what she really wanted to reply. Either she let him stay or she cut the day short and decided to leave. There was another way to at least keep her options open a little bit though. "You can, but I'm probably not staying much longer."

At least this way she wouldn't be committed to any real length of time. If she wanted to get away from him and take off in a few minutes she could.

"Great."

Ben was completely willing to accept that. Olivia's hesitance to let him join her was nearly equaled by the hesitance Ben had had about approaching her. It had taken him days to build up the confidence to come over to her the next time he saw her in the park. He'd seen Olivia and Suvi for the first time a few weeks ago and had barely been able to take his eyes off them. There was just something about this woman. The way she interacted with Suvi and the glowing look on her face when she laughed at her dog had him hooked. This was someone he definitely wanted to get to know better. She had such a bright spark of life in her.

Before he'd even come over to talk to her he'd been worried she would turn him down flat. It wasn't like he had a lot of experience talking to women in a "pre-date" type of way. Even if he did feel fully comfortable doing that, she could easily be out of his league. On top of all that, Central Park wasn't the type of place you would commonly talk to strangers either. The encounter could be awkward on top of awkward. Almost immediately after he'd spoken to her he thought that suspicion of being turned down was going to be confirmed. Now that he actually had the chance he was going to be really careful about what he did and said. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her away.

Ben sat down beside her, keeping an overly safe distance between them.

"I bet this place is paradise to a dog in the city," he said as he kept his eyes on Suvi who was sniffing away at the grass.

"It is. We try to come up as often as possible."

She could have said every day since she and Suvi rarely missed a day at one park or another. That would be giving away far too much for her liking though. The last thing she wanted was for someone she didn't know to find out where she could be found all the time.

"He's gotta love that. Don't you, Suvi?"

Suvi glanced up briefly, snorted at Ben, and dropped his nose back into the grass. Olivia's grin widened and she shook her head. Apparently the fascination with Ben had ended. At least until he started petting Suvi's ears again.

"I guess I'm not important enough to deserve an answer."

"You did get an answer. The grass is more important than you are."

"Even with all of that ear rubbing?"

"Seems that way."

"Dang. Tough competition. I'm losing against grass."

Olivia couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. Was he always like that or was his ridiculous comment made simply for her? She didn't know, but it was amusing none-the-less.

"He makes rather interesting choices sometimes," she explained.

"I'm hoping you at least rate about grass."

"Usually."

There had been a time or two when she'd wondered. Only briefly though. She knew all too well how far he would go for her.

"I'm glad he doesn't shatter your self-esteem like he just did mine."

Olivia snorted and looked at him sidelong.

"If a dog's opinions destroy your self-esteem you could really use to work on it."

Ben started laughing and shook his head lightly. He'd been teasing, but he suspected Olivia knew that despite what she'd said in return. Before he could come up with a good reply Suvi darted over to them and scurried around behind Olivia. His head peeked out warily from behind her and he eyed the path in front of them. Ben likely had no idea what that was all about, but Olivia did. A moment listening confirmed it. Hoof beats on the pavement. Before long the mounted police officer came into view. Suvi hunkered down closer to her side and near glared at the horse.

"What's got him all..?" He didn't get to finish before Olivia pointed at the horse and rider. "Oh."

"He's never been a big fan," Olivia explained.

She wouldn't describe Suvi's response as a completely fearful one exactly. Sometimes he seemed more angry than afraid. No matter what emotion it was, every time he heard the sound of hooves he would tuck himself behind her and watch intently. He would stay there until he was absolutely sure the horse was gone. Thankfully it wasn't all that common to run into a mounted rider in the park, and they never stuck around very long when they were nearby.

"Apparently not."

When the rider went by and the hoof beats were no longer audible Suvi slipped out from behind Olivia and huffed. It was very clearly a "good riddance."

"You really need to get over that," Olivia told him.

She really couldn't complain though. He'd never taken off in response to something that scared or angered him. Whenever he was feeling either emotion she knew, but his behavior never changed very much. He would still be there for her, looking after her. She suspected that if she needed him and a horse was around he would still focus and get the job done. That was simply the way Suvi was. He was just as dedicated to her as she had been to the victims and cases on the job.

"Guess he doesn't make a very good protector."

"No, he's a really good protector." He protected her independence and happiness better than anyone else could. "I'll admit that he doesn't do it as well when horses or small dogs are around though."

"That's a big size range of things to be afraid of," Ben laughed.

"Yeah, but it's all that bothers him."

Over the course of the year she hadn't found anything besides the dogs and horses that upset him. She'd realized a few months ago that he wasn't a big fan of thunder, but his love of rain tended to counteract that enough that he spent the entire time shifting between watching out the window and twitching away to run to her side or hide under the end table.

"My brother has a boxer mix. Big guard dog type, you know? Only there's one minor problem. He hears the doorbell or apartment buzzer ring and he's gone."

"Gone as in?"

"Gone in the other direction."

Olivia choked back a quiet laugh. She could see it happening almost the same way Suvi had just run from the horse. The only difference was Suvi didn't have as far to run to escape.

"Some guard dog."

Ben grinned, glad he'd gotten a bit of a laugh out of her. At least if she was laughing she was relaxing a bit around him. One step at a time. With the way she'd been acting when they first met he was incredibly pleased they'd already seemed to have taken that first step. Slow was apparently going to be the name of the game if he wanted things to work out, but that was okay. He could do that.

"Hey, be nice. He's not so bad. What burglar rings the doorbell before he comes in?"

Olivia glanced toward him with an amused smile on her face and shook her head. There was this glitter in her eyes that Ben really wanted to see more of. He initially wanted to talk to her because of how beautiful she was, but now that he'd actually gotten to interact with her he realized there was a lot more hidden under the surface. The little hints and teases he was getting so far were intriguing. There was definitely something special about this woman.

"That's true," she returned.

Olivia had only seen Suvi try to protect her once, but that one growl made her believe that if there were a need, he would happily transition from service dog to guard dog. Hopefully she would never have need to test that theory. If there ever was, with any luck it would be at home. That way, shaky hands or not, she would have her gun. (And if she couldn't get to it she'd certainly used other make-shift weapons over the years.)

Ben seemed to have been reading her thoughts.

"I'm sure your boy would do the same for you. And not run away from doorbells, I mean."

Olivia smiled softly down at Suvi and ran a hand through his fur. He glanced back over at her for a second before returning his attention to the ongoings of the park.

"Yeah. I'm sure he would."

Silence reigned between them for a while as Olivia watched Suvi and Ben watched Olivia. Eventually Ben broke the silence.

"I know you have to get out of here, and I don't want you to be late because you felt bad telling me to leave. So, I'm going to take off so you don't have to worry about that."

Olivia blinked up at him in mild surprise but then quickly hid it. About the last thing she'd suspected was him leaving before she felt the need to chase him away. That was fine though. At least she wouldn't need to come up with a good way to send him packing later.

"Maybe I'll see you around again," Ben added once he'd gotten to his feet.

"Maybe."

"It was nice talking to you, Olivia."

"You too."

And it had been generally. There definitely hadn't been anything she could have complained about in the conversation. If they happened to run into each other again she wouldn't need to create an excuse to leave early.

* * *

_Author's Note: All of you are already so amazing in your enthusiasm. I hope I live up to your expectations! You'll get one more chapter tomorrow before I take me writing break. _


	4. Chapter 4 - Pushing Open the Crack

Chapter Four – Pushing Open the Crack

Over the course of the next few weeks Olivia had run into Ben twice more. They'd mostly sat and talked, the discussions drifting further from Suvi and into realms that could have been considered more personal. Maybe. They hadn't discussed their families or what they did for a living. Even talking about their interests seemed like a bit too strong of a word for what they discussed. Small talk topics might have been more appropriate. The weather, sports teams, and stories about the stunts Suvi and Ben's brother's dog had pulled. Occasionally they would discuss books or television, but Ben had noticed a major change in Olivia whenever they talked about the news and current events. The sudden seriousness and dark cloud that drifted over her wasn't good to see, so he tried to stay away from the news unless something really ridiculous had been broadcast. For her part, Olivia didn't mind the random meetings. They didn't happen often enough for her to be concerned. At least not yet. When she saw him for the second day in a row her suspicions hiked up.

"Hey, Olivia. Fancy meeting you here."

It had been his running joke with her since the second time they'd met. The first two times it had made her smile and roll her eyes. This time they narrowed and darkened a bit.

"Don't you have a job?"

It was a legitimate question in her opinion. She always ran into him in the middle of the day when normal people would be working. There were a few exceptions like herself, but she doubted Ben was one of them. He wasn't coming to the park dressed to work out or relax. Instead he looked more like a business man out on his lunch break. That explanation would make their meetings so far reasonable, but not by much. Twice in two days threw it far outside the realm of reasonable in her opinion.

Ben laughed softly and shook his head at her in an attempt to brush off some of her hostility.

"What, you think I'm some bum that wanders the park every day?"

Olivia crossed her arms loosely over her chest.

"You haven't given me a better explanation for why you're always here yet."

He held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, you win. I work in real estate. The time requirements are a lot more lenient than most places. As long as I don't have something scheduled with a client, if I want to take a long lunch and work out of the office I can do it. Just depends on what's going on that day. Okay? Understandable enough for you?"

Olivia let her arms drop back down to her side.

"Mostly."

"Mostly? Ouch. What part about that isn't reasonable?"

"The fact that you always seem to find me. Central Park is a big place."

The truth was Ben didn't always find her. He'd come out far more than three times in the last few weeks, but most attempts to see her again didn't pan out. It was always disappointing when he had to return to work without success. Ben suspected he would scare her away if he admitted that though. So he went with another reason why he'd managed to find her.

"I found you here once. It makes sense to start looking in the same general area again."

That was very realistic, and Olivia had to admit it was mostly true. She was a creature of habit. When she wasn't called in for a consulting job she was always up at the park with Suvi, either right before or right after lunch. In Central Park they generally gravitated toward the same area too.

"So do I pass?" Ben asked when she hadn't responded.

"I guess so."

"Good."

Ben dropped down on the bench beside her without another word and started petting Suvi's head. He seemed content enough to simply sit in silence and continue doing what he was doing, but eventually the silence got to Olivia.

"So you work in real estate?"

That was the first indication of interest Ben had heard from Olivia so far. She hadn't asked him anything personal or even pushed for more information about something. Ben wasn't sure if her sudden interest counted as a step forward or if she'd asked just to end the silence between them. Either way he was willing to answer.

"It's New York. The real estate market is always booming with people trying to get in."

"Just not a lot of people leaving."

"Not always, which is why we're so useful. We know what's out there so we can tell you before it disappears."

"Or offer something at a higher price than someone can afford."

"Most of New York is higher than people can afford, Olivia."

"That doesn't mean you guide someone to break the bank," she countered.

"Wow, is it just me you don't think very highly of or real estate agents in general?"

Olivia shrugged and looked down. It wasn't like she had a lot of experience in the housing market since she'd lived in the same place for years, but she did know people in general. Money was one of the biggest incentives for less than moral actions.

"My job isn't to gouge people you know. In fact, I find it far more productive to find someone everything they want at the cheapest price possible. You keep more clients that way and get more referrals. Far better method if you ask me."

"I didn't."

"What?"

"Ask you."

A flicker of a smile crossed Ben's face. Despite the more negative connotation of what she'd said, he had every intention of turning it around. He knew just how to do it too.

"Well, maybe I should take it all back then."

"What?"

A flicker of confusion crossed Olivia's face, and she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. It took a little while into his "taking it back" before she understood.

"Me ask you if method…"

"Stop!"

"Good. I'm not sure I could have remembered much more in the correct order."

"How did that even…? Where did you come…?" Olivia huffed out a breath. What he had done was so ridiculous that she didn't even know where to start. She finally decided to just go with something basic. "You're nuts, you know that?"

"I prefer normally challenged."

Olivia couldn't help smiling at that response. There was very little about Ben that she would characterize as normal. About the only thing that came close was his physical appearance. With light brown hair the color of coffee with cream, hazel eyes, and average or a bit above average height Ben was pretty normal. His job might qualify as well.

"What about you, Olivia? You're out here pretty often in the middle of the day yourself. What do you do?"

"Ah…" She ran a hand through her hair and tucked a strand behind her ear in a display of mild unease. "I'm a consultant with the NYPD. I work whenever they need me."

It hadn't been very often recently. Soon after she'd signed on she'd realized her hours could be extremely variant. Some months she wasn't needed at all, and others she wound up going in for a time almost every day (at a certain point she'd almost thought she was back at her old job she was there so much.) She simply never knew what demand there would be. The same could be said for her speaking engagements. About the only consistency in work she had was with Suvi as a therapy aide. She had no intention of telling Ben about the other two jobs aside from the consulting. So far he only saw Suvi as her pet golden retriever since he'd never seen her dog with his vest on. The longer she could keep it that way the better. Revealing what else she did would require explanations that could easily reveal what Suvi was.

"The NYPD? Seriously? They send you out to track down criminals or you just do the leg work?"

"I do the leg work. Research, following up on leads, some interviews. It really depends on the case."

"Huh."

"Huh what?" Olivia asked as her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm trying to decide if I can picture you as a cop or not."

"I'm not a cop. I'm a consultant. It's different."

So much different, but she wasn't going to go into that either. In fact, she wasn't even going to think about it. While she was far more accepting of her current circumstances now than she had been, she still didn't enjoy thinking about them. She loved Suvi and her life now, but that would never change the fact that she hated what had happened to her.

"Same basic idea at least, but I think I could see it either way. You certainly have your moments of intimidation."

Like when he'd first met her.

Olivia smiled. He had absolutely no idea. So far she hadn't even tried to be intimidating. If anything she'd tried not to be. It was still good to hear that she had that intimidation factor in her even after what had happened though. She couldn't be getting that soft.

"Thanks."

"I can't decide if that's something I would ever want to do. I mean, in a way it could be fun, but it could also be, you know…"

"Awful? Yes. It can be. I also know I don't want to talk about it."

Talking about the worst part of your job was never good for your health. It was rarely good for your sleep either, especially when you're a cop. The horrors of the job were often times barely contained. Discussing them could easily splinter the restraints holding back those memories and release everything. Once out, it was always harder to bottle it all back up again.

"Then I will box the topic up and throw it away."

Ben mimed folding up the sides of a box and putting the lid on before standing and heading to a nearby trash can where he pretended to throw the box away. As he returned to Olivia he clapped his hands together as if brushing off a dirty job that was now complete.

"You just keep getting weirder and weirder."

"Nah. You're just getting to know me a little bit better."

"If that's the case by the time I really know you, you could be heading for the psych ward."

Ben laughed gently and shook his head in amusement. Weird he admittedly was, but he definitely wasn't anywhere near psychotic.

"I doubt it." He rested his elbows on his knees and gazed ahead of him. "I just like to enjoy life, and the best way to do that is to be a little bit goofy so you have a reason to laugh and smile."

He tipped his head slightly so he could look back at her with a gentle smile. There was a look of pure peace on his face and a true sense of honesty. It was almost like he was trying to tell her that he was purposefully opening a door into himself so she could see inside. He knew people would consider him weird, but he would stand by his beliefs. They'd served him pretty well so far.

"That's not a bad way to live," Olivia returned softly.

* * *

_Author's Note: So, since this is the first story I am writing where I'm not done yet when I'm uploading it, there really is room for more! If there's something you'd really like to see happen, especially after we get further in and you see where this is going, or that you want more of please let me know._


	5. Chapter 5 - Melting Hearts

_Author's Note: I've returned! Sorry that took longer than expected. Coaching started and has taking over my life. Plus, holiday times means lots of wrapping for donation items that are due rather early in the month. But, you at least have some more chapters now!_

* * *

Chapter Five – Melting Hearts

"I can still see everything that happened, _feel _everything he did every time I close my eyes. It doesn't matter whether I'm awake or asleep. He's still there."

Olivia had heard more stories of abuse and rape over her years with Special Victims than she could count. Even after she'd left the force she was still hearing them. Now the setting was different and the women sharing their stories didn't have to tell them alone. Olivia could provide some support, or more accurately, Suvi could. She tuned out the woman's words a bit and instead focused on Suvi. He'd sat himself down beside the victim and hadn't moved since she'd started speaking. Simply by watching the motion of her hand over Suvi's fur Olivia could identify the hardest parts of the story to tell. She let herself drift away further and mostly blocked out what was going on in the room. Some days were easier to listen to than others. After how many stories she'd heard from the group today she didn't find it wrong to ignore it all for a little bit. It wasn't like she could really offer much help or comfort to these women. If she really thought about it she hadn't been able to do much before either. She could listen and be a rock to hold on to in the storm as she tried to bring justice, but that was about it. As much as she said naming a rapist for what they were was the start of the healing process, it wasn't a miracle cure for healing the scars left behind. Convicting a rapist just never felt like enough. Now instead of bringing justice she brought a golden retriever that could melt hearts. It never felt like enough either, and she had to remind herself that she was doing what she could.

Olivia was jerked back to reality when she felt the touch of a wet nose against her palm. Apparently the most recent story was over and Suvi had come to check in with her. He gazed up at her with bright brown eyes filled with love. As much as he loved the extra petting and attention he received at the support groups, nobody could replace Olivia. She smiled down at him and trailed her fingers up his nose and over his head. He happily curled into the touch and leaned into her. Thankfully the session was basically over so Olivia could keep Suvi beside her and get a little comfort herself.

After hearing the parting words she remembered so well from her own group sessions Olivia put Suvi's vest back on and clipped the leash to his collar. There were certain groups where she'd stick around at the end since she'd connected with some of the women. They would talk; Olivia offering support and the other women sometimes thanking her for bringing Suvi. This wasn't one of those groups, but even if it was she wouldn't have been able to stick around that day. She had a lunch meeting she needed to get to.

As she headed down the street she tried to box up some of the darkness that had settled over her during the last few hours. There was a lot of weight to get off her shoulders and not very much time to do it in. Getting to the restaurant she was meeting at wouldn't even require a trip on the subway. She was rather looking forward to lunch with Caroline and didn't want anything to taint it. There was the chance that the meeting could bring its own sadness, so she definitely didn't need to come carrying extra with her. By the time Olivia pushed open the door to the small café she was feeling more relaxed. Since she and Caroline met there all the time Olivia wasn't the least bit concerned about the response she would receive from the staff. The people knew her and treated her rather highly. When Caroline spotted Olivia she stood and the two women quickly embraced.

"It's really good to see you, Olivia."

"You too," Olivia returned as they both sat down and Suvi took his place under the table.

Caroline was the activities director for the children's ward at Mercy General Hospital. During her time as director she'd met a lot of volunteers and comfort animal pairs, but she'd found a real gem in Olivia. She was wonderful with kids and knew how to talk to them. What was more, she could relate to what they were going through. She too had experienced the boredom of long hospital stays, the fear of a serious diagnosis, and the disappointments and setbacks involved in recovery. The children loved her. All of those traits and benefits she had didn't even cover the biggest reason she was a major asset to the hospital's volunteer program. Suvi was the key. While the kids loved Olivia, they absolutely adored Suvi. He brought smiles to faces across the hospital, sometimes before he even arrived.

After they'd ordered the two women sat and chatted, catching up on the good things going on in each other's lives. Olivia shared some of the ridiculous things Suvi had done and her newest request to speak at a conference while Caroline chatted about her kids and the upcoming festival they were planning to go to as a family. It wasn't until the end of their meal that they finally got down to business.

"Here's your new schedule," Caroline told her as she slid the paper across the table to Olivia. "There are a few new kids in there I'd love you to go see. They'd be individual visits at this point, but I'd put them as a priority over the B group."

Olivia looked over the list of dates and times available before pulling her calendar up on her phone. She had a speaking engagement at the academy later in the week, but that was all she had to work around. The other conference she'd confirmed she would attend was at the tail end of the visit period and shouldn't be hard to schedule around either, if she needed to at all. After entering the dates and times she would go in into her phone she circled them for Caroline and handed the sheet back.

"That should cover everyone, I think. Anything specific I need to know about the new ones?"

"Nothing too far outside the ordinary. Parker is the only challenge. He's having a really hard time coping and most of that is coming out as anger. Make sure your patience meter is all the way up when you go see him."

Olivia smiled knowingly. It wasn't all that uncommon to visit a child that wanted nothing to do with her at first. These kids had been through enough that they had reason to be angry. Many times the uncontrollable fear presented itself as anger or frustration too. She was used to it and knew how to handle it.

"I'm sure I've dealt with worse."

And she probably had, though not necessarily at the hospital. Perps, victims, her partner, people that didn't approve of Suvi. They'd all directed anger at her at some point or another.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine too."

Caroline wasn't sure she could even name a child that Olivia hadn't gotten through to eventually. The question wasn't if she would reach Parker, it was how many visits it would take to do it.

"There's also one other thing I'd like to ask you about," Caroline continued.

Olivia lifted her eyebrow in a silent urge to go on.

"I know this is kind of last minute, but do you have time to come back with me to the hospital and visit someone?"

Olivia's eyes widened in surprise. She'd never gotten a request for such a quick meeting. Everything was usually planned days, if not weeks, in advance unless Olivia had to change her schedule last minute because of a consulting job. For Caroline to be requesting her now it must be a special case. She'd been planning on bringing Suvi to the dog park on the way home if she had the time, but that could always wait until later or tomorrow even if that was her only option.

"I have some time yet, yes."

Caroline's face flashed with relief.

"Perfect. We had an eleven year old girl brought in last night after she nearly collapsed at her soccer game."

"Collapsed?"

"They found that she has a heart condition that's going to require almost immediate surgery. She's terrified. Almost completely shut down. Technically her parents can force her into the surgery, but it would be harder that way."

Olivia understood. An eleven year old girl could put up a real fight against the doctors if she got it into her mind to do so. That wasn't exactly the best way to go into surgery, and being held down to be put under for it would only scare her more.

"There's only so much I can do. I don't know anything about her surgery. I can try to get her to relax, but her parents will have to convince her."

"That's all I need you to do."

They paid their bills, packed up, and headed the few blocks down to Mercy General. After Caroline led Olivia to the correct room she hung back outside of view.

"All yours. Good luck."

Olivia flashed her a bright smile and knocked on the door in front of her to let the family inside know someone was coming in. When she entered she found Kate lying in bed glaring at the wall and purposefully ignoring her parents who sat worriedly at her bedside.

"Kate? I heard you could use a friend."

"I don't need any friends," she snapped back.

Her parents,' eyes shot up in surprise at her tone, but Olivia wasn't bothered.

"Well, he's going to be really disappointed then. Aren't you, Suvi?"

Olivia caught Kate glancing over at her out of the corner of her eye. Since Kate had kept her eyes down and tried not to show that she was looking the first thing she spotted was Suvi. Her eyes widened.

"How did you get him in here?"

Olivia managed to restrain her laugh but let the smile bloom across her face.

"Suvi's my service dog, so he's allowed in here. He's also a pretty good friend. Sure you don't want to change your mind?"

"I guess…"

From an eleven year old Olivia was going to take that as a resounding yes. She guided Suvi closer and gave him the command to put his front paws up on the bed so Kate could reach. When she started petting him he scooted in closer and plopped his head down onto the bed. Soaking up the attention like this didn't count as work in his book, and he made an excellent sponge. Put him in a competition with any brand and he would win, guaranteed. Olivia let Kate continue petting him without saying a word for a few minutes.

"You know, Kate, you can trust the people here."

"Says who?"

"Says someone who's been through it."

"Like you've had someone mess around with your heart."

"No. I had someone mess around with my brain."

That caught Kate's attention, and she looked up to meet Olivia's eyes.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Kate looked back down at Suvi and twirled his hair around her finger. Olivia couldn't help seeing a mirror image of herself from a few months ago. When she'd been uneasy she'd done the same thing.

"I'm still scared."

"I think everyone would be," Olivia told her.

"Katie, honey, the doctors have all said that you should be perfectly fine a few months after the surgery," her mother assured.

Kate tucked her knees up to her chest and looked away. Suvi whined and poked his nose at her arm in response. When she ignored him, Suvi reached forward and pawed lightly at her. She finally reached out and rubbed his ears. Once Suvi was satisfied Olivia gently touched Kate's arm.

"How about Suvi and I stay with you until they get you ready? He won't let you worry too much. Okay?"

"Okay…"


	6. Chapter 6 - Always Moving Forward

Chapter Six – Always Moving Forward

_This place makes me feel old._

The last time she'd walked the halls of the police academy she'd been a young cadet with no idea what was in store for her. Now she was back walking the halls. This time instead of wondering which precinct she'd be assigned to when her training was over she was wondering whether she'd looked that young the first time. Probably. She'd probably been just as clueless too. They had no idea what they'd be getting into if they ran into a victim of rape or assault, and it was her job to give them that idea. She'd covered when to call SVU, how to deal with a live victim, and the definite "no nos" with them. Her speech had covered a lot of information, but apparently not enough to satisfy them. Once the questions had started, they hadn't ended. She wasn't even sure what number she was on by that point.

"What about domestic disputes? What's the line there?"

It was a good question. Domestics were complicated, and the line was always moving. Even as a detective specializing in sex crimes, domestic disputes could cause issues simply because anything could happen. As she was trying to put together an answer that covered all of the potential contingencies she was cut short by two sharp barks. She didn't need to look at Suvi to know what they meant. Instead she glanced toward the instructor in the room with her. They'd gone over procedures for if she had a seizure before she'd even started.

"Everyone take a five minute break. We'll reconvene after that," the instructor explained as Olivia slipped away from the podium and joined Suvi.

She settled on the floor, not overly concerned about what she knew was about to happen. Suvi would be there next to her through the entire thing. No matter what happened or how bad the seizure was, he would be the first thing she saw when she woke up. He wasn't going to leave her. It was her last thought before she slipped away.

The break the cadets had been given turned out to be longer than five minutes. By the time they were allowed back into the room it was more like fifteen. While the seizure hadn't lasted long, Olivia hadn't woken up very quickly after. Even after she finally had it had taken a bit longer for her to be comfortable enough to stand. When the cadets returned Olivia was sitting on a chair beside the podium and slowly drinking a bottle of water. Suvi, as she'd known he would, remained right next to her with his nose touching her thigh. The instructor tried to start the questioning again, but the young trainees only looked at each other nervously. Nobody wanted to ask anything anymore. Olivia could see it plain as day and smiled weakly.

"Let me be an example for you that this job can be unpredictable. Prepare and stay on top of your game because sometimes even your best isn't good enough. You never know what could happen. Good or bad."

She reached down and ruffled Suvi's ears.

"Now, there was an answer I was supposed to be giving before my head decided it was time to take a break."

That got a few smiles from them like she'd hoped, and some of the tension in the room eased.

O . o . O . o . O

"You're very good at this, you know," the academy director told Olivia as they were walking down the hallway.

"I would still prefer an interrogation room."

"I'm sure you would, but you're doing a lot of good doing this."

"Thank you."

"There's a big conference in DC about sex crimes. The director contacted us. They want you there, Olivia."

"You're kidding."

"No. I'm serious. It's in two months. You really should consider it," he pressed.

Olivia shook her head. She knew there were quite a few departments that wanted her to speak at some conference or another. It shouldn't be that surprising that someone in DC wanted her, and yet it was. DC sounded like a pretty big deal. A step up from her usual conferences at the very least. No matter how many times people told her she was talented at addressing large groups and disseminating important information she'd never really considered herself as anything special. It seemed that not everyone agreed with that assessment.

"I don't normally go out of state."

"First time for everything. Think about it. I'll send you the information. They really want you."

"Somehow I think they would have contacted me if they did," she returned with an amused smile.

"They contacted the police commissioner. He passed it along to us since he knew you were coming here today."

Olivia had a hard time believing that. Why would they contact the police commissioner about bringing her into a conference? It seemed a bit extreme to her. There was no way she could be that sought after. Even if she was though she wasn't sure she wanted to travel that far anyway. Washington DC was still within driving distance as long as she could find someone to take her. Chances were she could even take the bus if she wanted to look that far into it. A bus wouldn't be as intimidating as a plane, and security wouldn't be as tight.

"What are they covering?" she asked before she realized what she was doing.

"The whole gamut of difficulties you can face at sex crimes. I think they're running it like a conference where you can choose the sessions you want to attend."

Olivia's eyebrow rose slightly. She'd heard of conferences that worked that way, but she'd never attended one. Speaking at one would definitely be a new experience. If she agreed to do it of course. But who was she kidding? Despite her questions and hesitations she'd already decided she wanted to go. Only a few months ago she probably would have turned the offer down. Now her faith in Suvi had lifted her confidence and she felt ready to take another step. It had become almost a phrase to live by since she'd been hurt. One step further. Don't stop walking forward.

"Definitely send me what you have. If they want me there I'm going to need time to work on what I'm supposed to talk about."

The director shot her a smile when he realized she had agreed to go.

"I will. You'll have it before the end of the day."

O . o . O . o . O

As Olivia watched Suvi in the park later that afternoon she couldn't help being distracted. She was still reveling over the fact that she had been invited to speak at a national conference. While Suvi was busy rolling around in the grass Olivia was running possibilities in her mind. The more she thought about it the more she was looking forward to the conference. She was yanked out of her thoughts when Suvi's shoulder collided with hers as he ran past. When she looked up he was rubbing against Ben's legs. In the short time she'd known Ben Suvi had become somewhat attached. He was completely comfortable around Ben and happy to say hello whenever he saw him. Of course he was even happier to accept the petting that usually resulted from his greetings.

"Trying to steal my dog?"

Ben smiled brightly and came over to join her.

"No. Never."

She smiled softly at him in response, but instead of returning to Suvi his eyes stayed on her. He wasn't saying a word, simply watching and evaluating. For a little while she was okay with that. It wasn't like she hadn't had eyes following her all the time before. This look was different though. Softer and more soul searching. Before she knew it she'd broken eye contact and was looking down.

"You look nice you know," Ben told her when he picked up on her embarrassment.

"That's not hard to do when you've only seen me in workout clothes."

"Then I'm glad I ran into you today."

Olivia nearly rolled her eyes and looked away to focus on Suvi instead. Hearing she looked nice really didn't mean very much to her anymore. Any guy on the street could say it. In fact, she'd heard it more from men she didn't know than ones she did. Ben could guess what he'd said wrong but had no idea why the compliment had bothered her. Instead of trying to determine why it had upset her and possibly making things worse, he decided a subject change was more appropriate.

"Are you hungry?"

"What?"

"Are you hungry?" When she continued to stare at him blankly he continued. "Do you want to get some food? Could you use to fill your belly? Um…. Yo quiero Taco Bell? I'm running out of ways to say the same thing."

"I think you ran out before the whole Taco Bell thing."

"Guilty," he returned as he lifted his hands.

"I do have Suvi with me you know. No matter how hungry I might be I'm not going to leave him outside alone."

Technically she wouldn't have to. Suvi's vest was in her purse and she could put it on him whenever she wanted. The problem was she didn't want to. So far Ben had never seen Suvi with his vest on, and Olivia had been lucky enough not to have a seizure in his presence. Ben knew nothing about her condition yet and she would rather keep it that way as long as she could.

"Never fear. I've taken that into account." He stood and held out his hand for her. "Come on."

Olivia ignored his hand but got up on her own despite her blossoming hesitation. Ben had to hide the smile that was trying its hardest to escape onto his face. Either she really wanted to keep him at arm's length or she was almost desperate to prove that she didn't want or need anyone's help. He didn't really care what the reason was or that she'd ignored his hand. She'd agreed to come with him for food, and that was good enough for him.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere I'm hoping you'll like."

"Ben, come on," Olivia protested.

"It's a little place right outside of the park. Trust me."

She snorted, but clipped Suvi's leash on anyway. Ben's request was a lot easier said than done for her. Trust was precious, and she didn't bestow it easily. He'd earned a little bit, but that only went so far. As they walked through the park together Ben sensed Olivia's wariness. She was keeping more of a distance between them than usual. Not only was there a physical distance, she hadn't spoken with him or really looked at him since they'd started walking. Either he had accidentally ended things between them or she would come around when she realized where they were going. He would find out soon enough.

They left the park and headed a block down the street before Ben came to a stop. Olivia took that as a hint that they had arrived. It wasn't hard to figure out where he had been planning to take her. When she glanced toward him she found him smiling warmly back at her.

"A smoothie shop?" she asked incredulously.

"Yup. I figured it was a safe bet since you're a runner."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Some runners are health nuts. If you are, smoothies are good for you, and if you aren't they're still delicious."

Ben shrugged but the smile still danced on his face. He'd apparently thought it through and was rather pleased with the result.

"That so?"

"Yup."

A smile slipped across Olivia's face too and she shook her head in amusement. He'd been trying to be thoughtful, and really, he'd done a good job.

"For the record, I'm not a health nut."

"Perfect. I'm not either. I prefer making choices based on taste."

"Good to see my health is high up on your priority list."

Ben laughed and started forward.

"You'll see why I picked this place after your first sip, Miss Judgment. Come on."

If she hadn't been so sure he was teasing her, like always, she would have jumped down his throat. Instead she rolled her eyes and followed after him. Based on the number of people milling around she suspected the smoothies had to be at least decent. Ben got in line and didn't even bother to look at the menu. Apparently he'd been to the little shop enough to already know what he wanted. She didn't have the vaguest idea what she was going to order. With the line moving surprisingly fast she was going to need to decide quickly. Something pineapple or more berry related?

"Any suggestions?"

"Now you want to trust my opinion?" he teased. Before Olivia could respond Ben added, "I would recommend the Malibu Peach personally."

"Is that what you're getting?"

"Nope. Something better."

"Better be careful you don't push your luck."

"Perhaps I should bow down and offer my sincerest apologies then," he told her with his trademark smile.

"Do it and I will hit you."

"Vicious, aren't you?"

Olivia eyed him with mock questioning. He had probably determined that a long time ago, possibly even in their first meeting. Ben only laughed at her expression and proceeded to order their drinks.


	7. Chapter 7 - They're Magically Delicious!

Chapter Seven – They're Magically Delicious!

"One for you and one for Suvi. His is water of course. His face after a smoothie is not a pretty picture. The thought of you cleaning fruit out of his nose is even worse."

Olivia's face flashed into a look of minor disgust, wrinkled nose and all.

"Yes, thank you for putting that picture into my head."

"My pleasure."

He gently touched her elbow and nodded away from the service window. After grabbing both cups she followed after him and they took a seat at one of the tables. Suvi settled under the table with his water.

"This side is usually quieter," Ben explained.

"You really have been here a lot if you know where the quietest place to sit is."

"It's one of my favorite places," he admitted before popping his straw into his mouth and taking a sip.

Olivia really wasn't sure what to say to that so she kept quiet and focused on her smoothie. Had that been the real reason he'd brought her here? Because he liked it? Had he wanted to impress her? (She had to admit the smoothie was incredibly good.) Or had his initial explanation been the main reason? Eventually she decided it was a combination of at least the first and last possibilities. As far impressing her, there was a good chance it was that too. While he definitely wasn't pushing or actively trying to date her by most standards, she could tell he was interested.

"So, what's the occasion?" he asked as he waved toward her clothes.

"I had a speaking thing this morning."

"And it went well?"

"Mostly. There were a lot of questions at the end which is good. It meant they were paying attention and honestly thinking about everything."

Ben contemplated her as he tipped his cup up on its edge and held it with a finger. He let the cup rock back and forth before settling it back on the table.

"Sorry, but aren't questions a bad thing?"

"These guys are kids. The more questions they ask the more they're learning, and that's what they need."

Which was true. If she were working at the academy she would never think the cadets were ready. They were too young and too clueless. She knew that the best way to truly learn was to get out there and gain experience, but still… Training cadets was definitely a job she would not like to have.

Ben had to assume her lecture had been something related to her consulting job, but he wasn't sure. While she sounded like she knew what she was talking about, he wasn't sure a consultant would be more knowledgeable than a detective. Then again, maybe they were more knowledgeable about certain subjects and that was why they consulted.

"If you're teaching you must know a lot about something." The minute he finished he realized what he'd said and his face flushed a bright red as he quickly tried to correct himself. "Uh, I mean I'm sure you know a lot about lots of things… ah."

Watching Ben squirm was actually a bit amusing. She'd understood what he'd meant the first time and what he'd been trying to ask too. The longer she made him wait the better. It wasn't like she wanted to talk about what she was covering when she taught anyway.

"Suvi isn't going to help me out of this one, is he?" Ben asked uneasily.

"No, but you can relax. Your face looks like a tomato, and you're nearly sputtering."

There was a look of undisguised laughter on her face though she wasn't doing any actual laughing. Ben calmed. She couldn't be pissed at him when her eyes were glittering like that and a smile was pulling at her lips.

"Let me try that again. What are you an expert in?"

So this was the moment of truth. Revealing what she did for a living always was. It was usually what put an end to relationships too. While Ben wasn't her boyfriend, he was a good guy, fun to hang around, and a friend she didn't want to lose. Friends were a little easier to come by now, but she didn't have a wealth of them. Olivia looked down at the table and ran her finger through the water there that had sweat off her cup as she prepared herself. There was really no good way to explain, so she just came right out and said it.

"Sex crimes."

Ben blinked, at a complete loss as to what to say. He had definitely not been expecting that answer.

"You're kidding, right?"

"That's not exactly something you would want to kid about."

"Good point. That was a dumb question. Here's a better one. Why, of all things, would you want to specialize in something like that?"

Olivia looked down and gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. How was she supposed to explain that without giving away more than she wanted to? Hopefully just a general answer would work.

"Because if there's one group of people that needs someone in their corner it's these victims. They've had everything stripped away from them. I'm good with victims. I can give them some of their power back."

"Yeah, but… geez, Olivia. Doesn't that just feel wrong?"

"It can be hard, yes. Overall it's worth it though."

Most of the time. There had certainly been moments during her career when she'd wondered whether that was true. Why she continued doing it despite that was even harder to explain than why she'd started in the first place. Sometimes she wasn't even sure there was a good reason aside from the fact that she simply couldn't give up.

"And you like it?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do. I can't see myself doing anything else."

Even when she'd had the opportunity to go in a different direction with her life, she'd returned to the world of sex crimes.

"Well, good for you then."

Olivia was caught completely off guard by his reply. What? That wasn't a response she'd ever gotten before. It was better than the over interest, but she wasn't sure it was a good answer either.

"Good for me?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah. A lot of people hate their jobs. If you like yours then you're ahead of the game."

Olivia was giving him such a strange look that he actually stopped and looked at her in confusion.

"What?"

She shook her head at him before answering.

"Just trying to figure you out. Your views of things are so wildly different from what I'm used to."

"Because I'm a "beary" special person. At least according to my teddy bear."

He flashed her a bright smile, and Olivia snorted in amusement.

"I can see that."

Ben rested his hands on the bench and tipped his head back so he was looking up at the sky.

"I guess I've learned you can either respond to what happens by looking at it differently or letting the bad swallow you. I'd rather look differently."

Olivia could see the touch of sadness and memory on his face. Based on what he'd said, she suspected he'd been hurt badly at some point in his past. She wasn't going to pry though. Everyone had scars. If she didn't want her own picked at, she wasn't going to poke at anyone else's.

When he looked back down at her he had a goofy smile on his face again, all remnants of sadness gone.

"It's like making pictures out of the clouds when you look at them."

Olivia laughed.

"You look like such an ordinary guy, but really you're just a weirdo in disguise."

"And you look like this kind, soft woman, but you've got some sharpness in you. Some bite," Ben retorted, though he didn't sound in any way angry.

"Ask anyone that really knows me and they would confirm that."

Almost more than anything else that hardness was what she'd been known for. The people that worked with her knew how good she was with victims, but that knowledge wasn't as well-known as her badass persona.

"I see where your dog gets his self-esteem crushing ability from."

Before Olivia could come up with anything to say she felt the sudden weight of Suvi's head on her thigh. Immediately a flash of fear and frustration flooded her. Not here. Not now. She did not want to have a seizure in front of him. Usually that was what pressure on her leg meant, but it was almost always accompanied by a bark or two. She hadn't moved, but he still hadn't barked his insistence that she better. Curious, she glanced under the table at him. Suvi wagged his tail at her in reply, something he would never do when warning her of a seizure. When she continued to watch him he licked his lips. Understanding struck, and Olivia shook her head with a smile.

"You aren't getting any of my smoothie."

He whined and licked his lips again with a clear message. _I really want some._

"Yeah, much too good to share with a dog," Ben agreed. "If you even have any left that is."

Olivia lifted her cup and shook it a bit to determine how much she did have. As Ben had guessed, not very.

"There isn't any more left, Suvi."

Lies. All lies. He knew there had to be more. He hadn't even gotten any yet! After squeezing out from under the table he nosed at her cup to determine the truth for himself. A few licks told him that sadly there was nothing good to be had. He huffed at Olivia in annoyance and flopped back down onto the ground.

"She did try to tell you, Bud," Ben said. When he received no response he looked up at Olivia. "I guess we're both in the dog house on this one."

"Seems so. I'll have to give him something at home. And speaking of that, it's probably where I should be heading."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She extricated herself from the table and stood up. "I had a really good time, Ben. We should do this again."

Ben's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he nodded at her. All of the baby steps were finally starting to pay off it seemed.

"I'll see you two later."


	8. Chapter 8 - Stepping Into the Big Ring

Chapter Eight – Stepping Into the Big Ring

The next two weeks were a whirlwind of planning and preparation for the upcoming conference in DC. Between travel plans, hotels, and putting together her sessions Olivia hadn't had a lot of extra time on her hands. She got to the park as often as she could, but she wasn't there anywhere near as often as she had been in the weeks prior. Ben had been understanding, though a bit disappointed. He'd tried to hide that, but Olivia was far too good at reading people. She'd noticed and had offered him a consolation. Despite her busy schedule at the moment, she still wanted to get her runs in. They'd set up a few times and places to meet in the evenings for that. A week before the conference she'd gotten pretty much everything she'd needed done. With only a few fine touches to make she'd been able to get to the park more often, and meeting with Ben kept some of her nerves about the trip down.

When she got on the bus to leave, however, her nerves were not feeling toned down. Suvi was lying at her feet, but despite the empty seat next to her she was feeling rather boxed in. It definitely wasn't helping her stay calm. She rested her head against the seat and took a deep breath. Hoping it would settle her a bit; she closed her eyes and ran over the course of the trip in her head. She would be gone four days, three of which would be for the conference. When she arrived today she would get everything set up at the hotel and venue. Someone was supposed to meet her on location once she arrived. The next two days were her main speaking times. She was scheduled to have at least two sessions each day either covering how to deal with the impact of working sex crimes or methods of speaking with children. During the final day of the conference she would be taking part in a general question and answer session. She was as prepared for the conference as she could be and both the hotel and conference staff knew about Suvi. Everything was good to go. There was no reason to be this nervous. Too bad her body wasn't listening to her head.

By the time the bus pulled in at the DC stop Olivia was about ready to turn around and go back. Instead she led Suvi off the bus and grabbed her bag. While she'd been to the capitol city before, she didn't know her way around. Her best option would be to pick up a cab. She was digging in her purse for the information about her hotel when she heard her name called.

"Ms. Benson!"

Olivia spun around and quickly located the man that had called out to her.

"You are?"

"Jack Collins. I was sent to pick you up and get you set for the conference."

"And you knew who I was because…?" When she saw his eyes drift downward Olivia finished her own question. "Suvi. Right."

"Let me take your bag?"

"Yeah."

Olivia handed her suitcase over and followed after Jack. She hadn't been expecting a ride, but she definitely wasn't going to complain about not needing to call a cab.

"Have you been to DC before, Olivia?"

"Once, but I wasn't here very long."

"It's a nice place. If you have extra time you should consider doing some sightseeing."

"Somehow I think you're going to keep me pretty busy."

Jack laughed.

"You can pretty much count on that."

Yeah, Olivia had guessed that. It didn't really matter though. She hadn't come to DC to do the tourist gig; she'd come to work. They pulled up outside of the conference center and all three got out.

"We'll pick up your information packets, and I'll show you around and get you set up with the technology. Cover and questions you have before you head to your hotel."

"Sounds good."

O . o . O . o . O

"Alright, Suvi. Here we go," Olivia told him the next morning as she finished putting on her make up.

Suvi wandered over with his leash and vest in his mouth. He sat down next to her, tail wagging across the floor of the tiny hotel bathroom. Olivia set her lipstick down on the counter and knelt down to ruffle his ears, being careful not to let him rub against her. She didn't want to be covered in fur when she presented to a room full of people, especially a group of people trained to be observant.

After clipping on Suvi's vest and leash she left the hotel to start the long walk down to the conference center. She could have taken a cab (it definitely would have been easier) but Suvi would be cooped up inside basically working all day. While he was trained to do that if he needed to, Olivia wanted to give him the chance to walk around. He would definitely get that on the walk down, and she would have a lot of time to run her presentation over in her head.

Olivia really hadn't been sure what to expect from the conference, but it definitely wasn't this. The second she walked in she was hit with a wall of people. She hesitated momentarily, and Suvi pressed lightly against her leg. With the number of people he was going to have to stay close even after he was satisfied Olivia was okay. As she began wading her way through the crowd of people she was really glad she'd been guided through everything the day before. Attempting to find the room she would be presenting in for the first time in all of the chaos would have been added stress, which was something she definitely didn't need.

Eventually she reached the room and felt a touch of relief as she stepped away from the crowd and noise. Suvi seemed to feel the same way she did and he shook himself like he was brushing off the memory of all the people.

"It wasn't much more crowded than busy streets at home, you know."

He touched his head to her leg in apparent disagreement. Olivia rubbed his head soothingly before heading toward the front of the room. All of her supplies were sitting on the tables as she'd left them the day before, but she still wanted to run through everything again. It would be a good review. Of course she could probably list all of the information in her sleep at that point. When she finished going through everything she glanced at her watch and sighed. There was still a lot of time before people would start trickling in. Olivia sat down, and Suvi wandered over so she could rub his ears. He dropped his chin onto her knee, and she didn't bother kicking him off. A few hairs on her skirt were worth the bit of relaxation she would gain from being near him. Besides, no matter how hard she tried she would never be dog hair free.

"You would think I would be more used to this by now, Suvi," she told him softly. "But I'm still nervous."

Normally she wasn't alone while she was waiting to begin. She'd never liked making small talk while she fought her nerves, but she was beginning to appreciate it a bit more in that moment. It definitely seemed like a better option compared to what she was doing now. Dead silence and being alone were the breeding grounds for fears. Instead of letting them run unchecked she tried to shove everything else aside besides Suvi. At least the look of pure contentment on his face was easy to watch and get sucked into. She ended up getting so lost in that she didn't notice when someone else walked into the room until he spoke.

"Guess I'm a little early."

She glanced up and smiled.

"A little, but it's fine."

"You're Detective Benson I take it?"

"Retired detective, but yes."

She wasn't going to argue the point too much here. The people coming in could think of her however they wanted. She had been a detective and was still working for the department so it was all a matter of semantics. It was easier to just go with whatever than try to explain.

"Same difference basically."

"To some," she returned.

Definitely just to some.

"We cops can be somewhat territorial," he replied.

"Just somewhat?"

He smiled in agreement. She was absolutely right on that score. Somewhat was a bit of an understatement.

While they'd been talking Suvi had slipped under the table Olivia was sitting behind so he would be undetected. He was quietly watching the new arrival, his head only inches from the table's underside. He wouldn't stay unnoticed.

"Who's your friend?"

"What?"

She followed his pointed finger and glanced down to see Suvi's tail sticking out from her side of the table.

"Lie down," Olivia ordered as she wiggled Suvi's tail. He happily did as she asked. "This is Suvi."

"Is that your suggestion for how to deal with the pressure of sex crimes?"

"Hardly. I never would have considered getting a dog when I was on the force. Not enough time for something like that. It's really not a bad idea though."

Having Suvi around definitely helped her. If she had known how much help a dog would be when she'd been on the job she would have tried to find the time to have one. Completely impossible, but still.

"I'll take any suggestions I can get."

"Well, I'll give you what I can in a few minutes. Looks like we're about ready to go."

More and more people were beginning to trickle in and take seats. A quick glance at her watch confirmed that she would be starting soon. She waited another few minutes as the last few people came in. It was a bigger turn out than she'd expected. Too late to turn back now. She bent to brush her fingers over Suvi's back one more time in preparation before standing to face the gathered group.

"It looks like we're ready to start. I'm Olivia Benson, retired from the NYPD after sixteen years with the Special Victims Unit. Apparently since I was with SVU so long I know how to cope with the stress of the job. I don't know how well anyone can truly cope with this job, but that doesn't mean you stop trying."

Olivia paused for a moment and could see the understanding in many of the eyes staring back at her. It didn't take long working with victims to realize there really was no good way to deal with the stress.

"Hopefully I can at least offer some suggestions that could ease some of the strain every now and again. Before I begin though, most of you have probably noticed Suvi." She motioned under the table where Suvi was still curled up. "Yes, he's a service dog, and he knows what to do if anything happens. Just in case, I'm going to apologize in advance if I collapse with a seizure or need to leave for a short time. Now, let's get down to it."

* * *

_Author's Note: Well, that's it for this batch. Hopefully the next batch will come quicker since I should be out of the woods with the current insanity at least by the end of next week. Or so I hope. Then again, last time I had already started writing the next few chapters when I finished posted. I only have a paragraph out of 4-5 chapters done. Whoops._


	9. Chapter 9 - Better Than a Stalker

Chapter Nine – What is Better Than a Stalker?

"Olivia!" Ben called out as he hurried over to her in the park.

Olivia's head swiveled around in confusion until she spotted who was calling her. She stopped and moved off to the edge of the path with Suvi at her side. When Ben caught up to her she smiled gently.

"It's been a while. Where have you been?"

Olivia's smile morphed into a look of confusion at his question. Yes, she'd been gone for the last five days and hadn't run into him in the few days before and after her trip, but it wasn't like they met every day. They didn't even meet most days.

"Are you stalking me?" she teased, though the question held almost equal amounts of teasing and suspicion.

If he had sounded more angry than worried Olivia would have been seriously concerned. In that instance the teasing definitely wouldn't have been there.

Ben snorted back a laugh and shook his head at her. So they were back to that were they? It was somewhat frustrating, but at least this time she seemed to be teasing him more than anything else.

"Stalking is such a bad word. I prefer to call it awareness. Or reconnaissance."

Olivia popped one hand onto her hip and watched him with a raised eyebrow.

"Sounds like stalking to me."

"Okay, okay. How about using patterns and logic to spend time with someone that I don't have a phone number for?" he asked as he held his hands up in a gesture of peace.

That caused Olivia to blink in surprise. Was that his way of asking for her number? If it was, did she give it to him? They'd run into each other quite a few times already, and she hadn't sensed anything off. At least nothing off besides his general goofiness. Then again, her track record with judging men outside of work wasn't exactly stellar.

"I really like spending time with you, Olivia," Ben added after he didn't get a response.

Olivia's eyes shifted downward. It was an automatic response that she couldn't stop. She hesitated for another moment before slipping her hand into the bag she kept Suvi's vest in. When she'd been a detective she carried a few business cards with her constantly. It was a habit that was hard to break. After a bit of digging her fingers connected with one of her consultant business cards. Most consultants put their cell numbers on the cards, but Olivia wasn't quite willing to let that number get out so easily. Instead she had a consultant's voicemail number on hers. A little more digging revealed a pen which she used to quickly jot down her cell on the back.

"You can stop being a stalker now," she told him with a light smile as she held out the card.

"Much better than being a stalker."

"Mm. I would hope so."

"I'd still love to know where you've been."

Olivia smirked and turned away from him. After having wandered off to sniff around nearby for a bit, Suvi came thundering back when she moved and rubbed against her legs. She stroked his head before glancing back at Ben with a grin.

"I'm sure you would."

"Right, right. Don't tell the stalker anything. I get it."

"Nope, I don't think I will," Olivia returned as she dropped a tennis ball into his hand.

He looked up at her curiously, but Olivia just smiled and jogged away. Suvi watched her briefly and then focused his eyes on the ball in Ben's hands. About ten feet away from Ben Olivia turned.

"Ben."

His eyes met hers and then Suvi's. Her dog was nearly dancing in place. A smile spread across Ben's face as he understood.

"You want this, Suvi?" he asked as he held the ball up.

Suvi darted forward and back again in excitement.

"Ready, go!"

The moment Ben released the ball Suvi spun on his paws and shot toward Olivia. She caught the ball easily, waited for Suvi to reach her, and threw it back toward Ben. Suvi skidded to a stop and darted back in Ben's direction. As the game continued Suvi began getting more and more aggressive toward winning. He _was_ going to get that ball. They couldn't keep it from him forever. After a few more rounds with no success he decided it was time to take matters into his own paws. As the ball headed back toward Ben, Suvi launched himself upward. If he had to snatch the ball right out of Ben's hand then he would.

"Whoa!"

A half step back by Ben was all Suvi needed to take advantage of the extra room. He may not have caught the ball, but Ben hadn't either. All Suvi had to do was get to it first. Easy enough. A quick twist of his body and the task was accomplished. With the ball in his mouth he began racing around Ben. A little bit of taunting never hurt.

As Ben reached out for him in a weak attempt to grab the ball Suvi dashed away, slowing when he reached Olivia. Olivia rubbed at his ears, but Suvi's focus was on Ben. His eyes were bright and his tail wagging. Oh yeah, he'd totally won this round.

"Yeah, you win," Ben admitted.

The confirmation sent Suvi into a circular dance complete with head shaking. A few times around and he stopped to look happily up at Olivia.

"Yes, you won," she confirmed before dropping to one knee and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're such a good boy."

"He's like a sponge with your attention," Ben said with a smile. He'd wandered closer while she'd been rubbing Suvi's ears.

"He is, but he deserves every ounce I give him."

With how well behaved and attentive he'd been during the last week he deserved every ounce of playtime too. The conference hadn't exactly allowed for many opportunities. While she'd gotten to enjoy herself in the hotel pool, her time to relax had likely been rather disappointing for Suvi since he couldn't come in the water with her. Not that he hadn't tried at first. Eventually he'd contented himself, somewhat grudgingly, with the water that had splashed out onto the pool deck. Being still on the job all he could really do was lie in it. It hadn't been very fun for him at all. In fact, Olivia had gotten more entertainment out of the look on his face when he realized the water was chlorinated than Suvi had with the entire pool episode.

"I'm guessing you probably went on a business trip and haven't been able to play with him in a while."

"Yeah," she replied. "A four day thing."

It wasn't really a lie. She had been on a four day business trip and hadn't been able to play with Suvi much. Why she hadn't been able to was just a bit different than what Ben likely thought. Suvi hadn't been placed in the kennel to wait for her return. He'd come with her and had been working just as much as she had.

"Now I understand why I didn't see you."

"That's why you didn't see me much before last week either. I was prepping for the conference."

"It went well?"

"For the most part. I had to deal with a few idiots, but that's generally par for the course."

Ben laughed and shook his head at her.

"That's usually the case everywhere, isn't it? Gotta have your wits about you to fight off the crazies. They're like zombies. If you're not paying attention you could end up joining their ranks."

Olivia glanced up at him, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Are you sure you haven't already joined them?"

"Nope. I'm just a tourist."

"Tourist to the normal side," she countered.

She didn't think Ben was actually crazy. He simply liked to enjoy himself and keep a light spirit. Joking, teasing, and saying things that were so unexpected Olivia didn't even think they qualified as "out of left field" were as normal and easy for him as breathing. She'd come to accept that you simply couldn't take much of what he said seriously, or at least not at face value. That wasn't to say that he couldn't have a completely serious and intelligent conversation. She'd seen him do it. His ridiculous humor was what kept bringing her back though. In a way, he reminded her of Suvi. He could make her smile over the silliest things, which was probably another reason why she was actually sticking around. She definitely wouldn't have before. Now a little extra reason to smile was welcomed.

"Nah," he returned.

His eyes locked with hers, an amused smile still on his face. For a long time Olivia stared at him before finally looking down in embarrassment.

What was she doing?

Aside from being ridiculous, which was pretty much what she felt like at the moment. With any luck nothing had shown on her face and Ben wouldn't think anything of her reaction. He was her friend, nothing more. Considering all of her baggage, he probably shouldn't even be that.

Unfortunately for Olivia her luck wasn't holding out. A small blush had touched her cheeks, and Ben had noticed before she'd looked down. He didn't say anything, but a tiny smile flickered across his face. Ever since he'd met Olivia he'd simply been riding on hope. Maybe, at some point, his slow progress would actually amount to something. Her tiny little blush was the biggest indication he'd gotten so far that she could eventually feel the same way about him. At least the time when he could potentially ask her on a real date didn't seem quite so far away now.

"I should probably go," Olivia said suddenly.

Before Ben had fully processed what she'd said Olivia was on her feet and preparing to leave. He scrambled to his feet after her.

"I can call you, right?" he asked without really thinking. A second later, when he realized what he'd said, he became flustered. "Ah, I know you gave me your number and all…"

Olivia took pity on him.

"Yes, you can call me. Just don't make me get a new number."

"I won't."

There was no way he would risk calling her enough for her to even think about changing her number. He'd been careful so far, and that wasn't going to change. The opportunity to be with her meant too much.


	10. Chapter 10 - A New Playdate (and Mate)

Chapter Ten – A New Play Date (and Mate)

It was a relaxing morning, and nothing could be better. He had a nice comfy pillow to sprawl out on at Olivia's feet. One of her feet at least. The other was resting lightly on his side and rubbing back and forth every now and again. There was a bone sitting close enough to him that he could grab it without really moving. He wasn't hungry, but it was nice to have just in case. Soft music was playing at a level that wasn't annoying. Ah, wait. There was something that could be better. Suvi squirmed around on his pillow, using the movement to scratch his back. With the itch gone he stretched contently. Yup. Now it was perfect.

"Happy there?" Olivia called down to him.

His eye rolled up toward her briefly in recognition. Yes, he was happy. In fact, he'd be more than satisfied if they spent the rest of the morning that way. It was nice.

And quickly disturbed by her cell phone ringing. Humans. He huffed and rolled slightly to look up at her. Did she want him to get that?

"I got it, lazy bum."

Oh. Good.

Olivia stood, careful not to step on him as she got off the couch, and headed over to where she'd left her phone. The number displayed was unknown and a quick look confirmed she didn't recognize it. Probably work related then.

"Benson."

_"So I finally find out your last name,"_ Ben answered. _"At least I think it's your last name and not some_ _twist on mine."_

An unplanned smile flashed across Olivia's face when she heard his voice. She really should have considered that the unknown number might be his.

"It is. Now I'm at a disadvantage."

_"Ollenghy. Ben Ollenghy."_

Olivia made a quiet noise to confirm that she'd heard but said nothing. He had called her, not the other way around, so she would let him lead the conversation. It wasn't like she had any idea where it was going. If it was even meant to go anywhere. There was a possibility he was calling simply to call.

_"Look, my brother is in town. The one with the dog? We're up at the park, and I was wondering if you and Suvi wanted to come join us. He could use someone to play with."_

"You and your brother, huh?"

She wasn't entirely sure Ben's plan sounded fun to her. While she might know Ben she didn't know his brother. It was far more likely to be awkward than enjoyable.

_"And Jerry, yeah. Suvi would probably like him."_

"Who are you actually inviting, me or Suvi?"

_"Well, technically Suvi, but I figured I would go through you since you would have to join us anyway. And, you know, you speak English."_

She really should hit him.

"I see. In that case I guess I better ask him then." She paused and glanced toward Suvi. "You want to go to the park, Su?"

Suvi had been lazy all morning and hadn't shown any sign of wanting to move. The moment the word park was in play though he snapped to his feet and nearly barreled into her legs.

"Considering he almost just had a head-on collision with my knees I'm going to assume he says yes. Where do you want us to meet you?"

_"The usual spot."_

"Give me twenty minutes, okay?"

_"Sounds good. See you in a bit."_

Olivia hung up and started getting Suvi ready to go. She considered taking the subway but decided a cab would be faster. As much as she had hesitated to go at first, now she was looking forward to it. That seemed to be hard not to do when it came to Ben. He made her smile every time they ran into each other.

When he spotted her twenty minutes later and Olivia met his eyes that exact thing happened. A warm smile spread across her face nearly involuntarily.

"Hey."

"Hey," Olivia returned softly.

"Let me introduce you," Ben told her as he guided her over to where his brother was. "Olivia, this is my brother, Cole, and his dog, Jerry. Cole, this is Olivia and Suvi."

Olivia reached out and shook Cole's hand. He looked just like his brother only younger and with curlier hair. When he smiled at her in greeting Olivia picked up on other major differences too. Ben's eyes lit up when he smiled and there was always this sense of teasing. Cole didn't have that.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Is he okay with other dogs?" Cole asked.

"Yeah, he's fine."

In fact, Suvi was already leaning forward and trying to sniff at Jerry. Olivia trailed her fingers over his head and unsnapped his leash. Once free his head snapped up so he could meet her eyes. She smiled down at him and nodded.

"Go play, but check in."

She probably hadn't even needed to tell him that since he usually did anyway, but when people he knew were around he was willing to venture a bit farther than normal. Even if he wasn't there she had people with her that could help should she need it. Regardless, he would never be far away. Never. He raced a circle around her before trotting off to check Jerry out. Olivia's eyes stayed on Suvi as he and Jerry sniffed at each other. When they started chasing each other around her eyes were still on them. It wasn't until Ben touched her arm that she pulled her eyes away.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, sorry. Just checked out for a second there."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Don't need to get you a plane ticket back?"

Olivia glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. Despite that there was a smile dancing at the corners of her lips. Who else would have come up with that and been able to say it with a straight face?

"You are an idiot," Cole muttered.

There was no holding the smile back after that.

"You're rubbing off on him already," Ben told her. "Calling me an idiot."

Olivia was usually a bit gentle about it though. At least sometimes.

"You deserved it," Cole returned.

"Sadly I've come to realize that's his version of normal," Olivia admitted.

"Which just makes him more of an idiot."

"Ow. Dang. You're all tearing me apart."

"You'll get over it," Cole retorted.

"He's a great brother, isn't he?" Ben asked Olivia.

In spite of what he'd said Olivia could read right through it. They cared about each other and none of the insults were really meant. She pat his shoulder and smiled at him.

"He's keeping me entertained."

Ben's smile only grew in response.

"He's good at that."

"Does Suvi play Frisbee, Olivia?" Cole asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. I brought two," he told her as he held both up for her to see.

"Let's go then."

They spent the next hour throwing Frisbees, chasing the dogs around the park, and talking. It would have been longer had the ring of Olivia's cell phone not interrupted them. She only spoke to whoever was on the other end for a few minutes before hanging up and giving Ben and Cole an apologetic smile.

"Sorry. I have to go. Work."

"Have fun," Ben replied.

"I'm not sure fun is really the best word," she returned before calling out to Suvi and clipping on his leash. Before they left the park his vest would go on too.

"I'll see you later, Olivia."

"Yeah."

A moment later she was jogging off. Ben watched until she disappeared into the crowd.

"You really like her, don't you?"

Cole's question was enough to startle Ben back to the here and now. He turned slightly to see his brother eying him closely.

"Yeah, I do."

"You sure about her? I mean, she's gorgeous and all, but she didn't exactly seem…"

"We're just friends, Cole. I haven't gotten past that. Just keeping it slow."

Ben understood his brother's concern. Between his three siblings Cole was the one he was closest to, though his sister came in a close second. Cole knew what had happened in Ben's last serious relationship, and Ben really hadn't dated much since. Olivia was the first Ben had shown any real interest in, so Cole couldn't help but worry. It wasn't like Olivia seemed head over heels in love with him, and Cole really didn't want to see his brother hurt again.

"Probably a good idea."

"I'm doing it more for her sake than mine."

"Maybe you should be doing it for yours," Cole nearly sighed. "Make sure you're sure about this."

"I am. That's why I'm going slow. I don't want to scare her off."

"She didn't look easy to scare off to me."

Ben almost laughed. No, today she hadn't seemed the least bit suspicious or hesitant. He'd read a bit of unease at first, but she'd relaxed pretty quickly. Simply based off of today's interaction, Ben could understand Cole's assessment.

"You should have seen her the first few times we talked. Not a super pretty picture."

"And yet you're still trying."

"She's guarded, Cole, not completely uninterested. It'll be worth it."

"If you say so."

Cole wasn't completely sure he agreed with Ben's assessment, but it wasn't his life. Ben would make his own decisions and if everything went to hell with Olivia then Cole would be there to help pick up the pieces. He would really prefer not to need to though. The first time had been enough, and he didn't even want to consider how bad the second time would be. Definitely worse though. He was sure of that.

"Just do me a favor, Ben. Okay?"

Ben glanced toward him in agreement.

"Be careful. I don't want to see you trying to pick up all the pieces again."

"I don't either," Ben admitted softly.


	11. Chapter 11 - Little Hands and Super Glue

Chapter Eleven – Little Hands and Super Glue

"I have gotten way too used to normal hours," Olivia grumbled to Suvi.

She had stumbled into the kitchen to make herself a much needed cup of coffee. Before her injury working well through the night was relatively normal. An hour or two of sleep would be enough to refuel her and enable her to function at a surprisingly high level. That wasn't quite the case anymore. Maybe it was because she was getting older or she simply wasn't used to the lack of sleep. Either way her long night of work had left her utterly exhausted. The sleep she'd gotten did not feel like enough by far. Hopefully the coffee would help.

Suvi lifted his head off the floor to look up at her in response, yawned, and dropped it back down. While he'd gotten a few naps in while she'd been working, he was still tired too. If it had been his choice they would still be in bed. Unfortunately that was not to be even if Olivia was feeling pretty much the same way. They had some visiting to do that day.

Coffee in hand, Olivia glanced down at her watch and groaned. They had to be out the door in a little over an hour. In that hour she had to somehow wake up, get dressed, and walk Suvi. At the rate she was going waking up might have to wait until the trip down to the hospital. Leaving Suvi in the kitchen she returned to her room to shower and change for the day.

An hour and a half later she was getting off the subway and heading toward the hospital entrance. She felt a little more awake, but there were still moments when she was fighting off yawns. Suvi was acting somewhat draggy too. Olivia seriously doubted that would last very long though. When they reached the door of the activities room they were spotted almost immediately.

"Suvi!"

The one child's voice was soon joined by a chorus of others.

"Look, it's Suvi!"

"Suvi's here!"

"Suvi!"

Suvi's ears pricked and his tail started going a mile a minute. Of all the comfort sessions they were involved in this one was his favorite. The children under long term hospital care were always eager to see him and bestow as much love and attention on him as they possibly could. Usually that love took the form of a massive circle of reaching hands that looked rather claustrophobic to Olivia. Not that the crowd of kids bothered Suvi.

"Go play," Olivia told him as she slipped off his leash.

He bounded into the room and was quickly surrounded. For the most part Olivia stood back and watched at these visits just like the other parents. The only difference was that her "child" had a furry tail. A few times she would guide a new child that was showing some hesitance over to Suvi, but today was a familiar crowd. She would be good to watch for at least the first fifteen minutes. Typically that was the amount of time it took before a few of the children started to drift away to their own activities again. Sometimes one or two of them would rope her into a tea party, craft project, or board game. She'd lost count of the number of games of Connect Four she'd lost a long time ago. Only a few of them had been purposeful losses too.

A hysterical round of giggles made her focus more closely on the group. Suvi was almost completely on his back so the kids could pet his stomach. All four paws were sticking up and his tail continued to sweep across the floor. It was wagging so fast and hard that his body was basically wiggling with it. Every now and then his tongue would flop out of the side of his mouth, making him look even more ridiculous. Olivia shook her head in amusement. Whatever made him happy. Suvi was so involved with the kids that he didn't notice the subtle warning signs Olivia's body was throwing off. The seizure caught him as much by surprise as it did her. The thud of her body hitting the floor snapped him back over onto his feet, and he near barreled through the kids who'd backed up in surprise at his sudden move. A few running steps and he skidded to a stop beside her. He stood protectively over her as she seized, his eyes watching her with deep concern.

When Olivia regained consciousness she found Suvi's nose only inches from hers. He whined softly and nearly climbed on top of her in his attempt to get closer.

"I'm okay, Su."

He didn't completely believe her and whined again. Once more he tried to press into her.

"Vesuvius," she said in exasperation.

She gently shoved his nose aside so she had room to try and sit up. Suvi was having none of it though. He scooted in and dropped his head so it was almost under her arm. With where he was she would be able to grab his vest easily, which was what he was pushing for. Olivia let him pull her up before pulling him into a hug.

"I'm okay, buddy."

She could see how upset he was, and with her arms around him she could feel it too. His body was trembling slightly. The fact that he hadn't been there right when she went down was seriously bothering him. It might be hard to get him to go back to spending time with the kids. If she could even get him to step away from her in the first place. He wasn't making any move to do that.

"Are you okay, Olivia?" one of the kids asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. He's just overreacting." That statement was only supported when Suvi nearly stepped on her thigh in an attempt to get in physical contact with her. "Suvi, sit."

He whined and still tried to press into her. When she told him to sit again her voice came like a whip crack that sent Suvi's butt immediately to the ground. Suvi hung his head sadly, and Olivia sighed. She hadn't wanted to make him feel even worse, but she had needed him to listen. Olivia gently cupped his face and stroked his ears.

"I'm fine, Suvi. I'm fine." She kissed his head. "I'm fine. Okay?"

Suvi huffed and pressed his head down onto her hands. Olivia laughed at him softly and ruffled his ears again.

"Go play."

When he didn't listen she physically spun him around and gave him a little shove from behind.

"Go."

He glanced back at her once more before obeying. This time instead of racing over to the kids he basically plodded. While he let them sit and pet him he wasn't going to be enticed into anything else. His eyes kept swiveling back over to Olivia, far more often than normal. He'd messed up once by not checking in enough. There was no way he would make the same mistake again. When everyone was saying goodbye Suvi was glued to Olivia's side. It wasn't just that he was standing beside her. Either the side of his head or body was touching her leg at all times. Even when they were walking back he refused to let any distance come between them. There were even a few times that she had to push him away from her so she didn't trip. The light push was enough to get him to give her some space though that only lasted for a few steps before he started drifting toward her again. Apparently she was going to need to convince him that she wasn't upset with him and he hadn't done anything wrong.

Her morning, or at least her early afternoon, had been focused on service work, but the rest of the day would be all about Suvi. When they got back home she grabbed Suvi's brush and headed into the living room. She didn't need to ask him to join her since she couldn't possibly keep him away. The two of them settled onto the floor together, and Olivia started brushing. Suvi had always loved it when she sat down and brushed him. Today he was enjoying resting his head in her lap more. It made it a bit awkward for Olivia to work, but he didn't mind. As ridiculous as Olivia thought he was being she didn't fight with him over keeping his head in her lap. If that would make him feel better, fine.

The rhythmic motion of running the brush over his fur was easy to get lost in. By the time she actually looked up nearly an hour had gone by. Suvi was relaxed and more than content considering his eyes were closed. When he realized she had stopped brushing him though his eyes opened and he pawed gently at her leg.

"I know you still want to be brushed, but I need to get up."

She couldn't feel her legs and considering how numb they were they had probably gone to sleep a long time ago. Maybe she shouldn't try to get up. Either way she definitely had to move no matter how painful it was going to be.

"Alright, come on."

She gave his head a minor push to get him up and off her legs. He groaned but rolled off of her. Olivia slowly stretched her legs out and winced as the pins and needles hit her. Suvi noticed the wince and bounded to his feet to support her. There wasn't much he could do to help her, but she appreciated the fact that he was trying. At least he wasn't being quite as anxious anymore. He didn't have anything to worry about after all. She couldn't expect him to warn her of every incoming seizure. His job wasn't to spend every second monitoring her either. He deserved a chance to be a dog and enjoy himself too.


	12. Chapter 12 - It's a Date

Chapter Twelve – It's a Date

"Fancy meeting you here."

Olivia didn't even need to turn around to figure out who had spoken. Instead of turning to greet Ben she threw Suvi's ball first. Suvi didn't mind foregoing a greeting to go after his ball either. With the ball in the air and Suvi after it Olivia glanced over her shoulder to smile at Ben. She found him holding a half-eaten hot dog.

"You have some ketchup," she told him as she touched the left side of her mouth.

She was halfway expecting him to use the back of his hand, but she was surprised instead. He actually used his napkin, as rumpled as it was.

"Lunch break?" she asked.

"Not much of one, but yes. I'll just have to do something decent for dinner."

"No take out for you, huh?"

"I do that enough for lunch. I'd rather cook myself a good dinner."

She raised her eyebrow in surprise. Suvi gallivanted into her legs, but she only reached down to rub his ears. This time Ben was holding her attention.

"You cook?"

"I make a mean pb and j."

Olivia laughed.

"Wow, you're a classy guy."

"You should come over some time. I'll make you dinner."

"Is pb and j on the menu?" she teased.

"Nah. I'm not going to say I'm a gourmet chef or anything, but I'm a pretty good cook."

"Impressive."

"I've lived alone for a long time. It was either start dabbling or go hungry. Of course it helped that I actually came to enjoy it."

Olivia turned away from him for a moment to throw Suvi's ball again. He had been getting a bit impatient and had started shoving his nose and the ball into her hand. There would have been no denying him for long. With that done she turned back to finish her conversation with Ben.

"Guess you'll have to make yourself something really good to make up for your pathetic lunch."

"Actually, I was hoping you would help me with that."

She blinked and looked up at him in surprise as Suvi trotted back over with his ball.

"What?"

"I was hoping you would come to dinner with me tonight. We could go somewhere. Have a good meal."

Olivia's eyes shifted down and her fingers started tracing over the fur on Suvi's head. It was a nervous habit she hadn't even realized she'd formed. There was a quiet sadness on her face that couldn't be missed despite the fact that she was looking down. Ben noticed right away and smiled sadly.

"Just friends, huh?"

To Ben her response couldn't have been clearer. As slow as he'd gone it hadn't mattered. Either he'd scared her or she hadn't been interested in the first place. There was nothing he could do about that so he would just have to accept the way things were. She would never be more to him than this.

Or so he'd thought until Olivia suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"No! That's not it." She looked down and her voice dropped to a level only a few notches about inaudible. "I'm just scared that's all you'll want when you find out the truth."

Olivia might have been worried about how Ben would respond to the news that she was disabled, but Ben was hardly concerned.

"What, you're a transgender bank robber wanted by the FBI for crimes committed in multiple states?"

Olivia was stunned, but she quickly managed to pull it all together. A smile flickered across her face as she held back a laugh.

"Hardly. It would make working with the Feds a little difficult."

"So, I don't see what the problem is."

"You're ruling out a lot of other options," she told him softly. One wrong scenario didn't make everything okay.

"I'm not worried, but go ahead. Try me."

If it were that simple she would have told him about Suvi and her disability a long time ago. Revealing all of that was hard though. It was opening herself up in a way she wasn't truly comfortable doing, and what was worse, she wouldn't be revealing anything good. She looked down and found Suvi looking back up at her. He must have sensed her unease. Suvi had helped her so much already; maybe he could help her again. She reached into the small bag she kept on her waist without a word and pulled out Suvi's vest.

"This," Olivia said quietly as she revealed the emblem.

Ben's eyes widened slightly.

"He's a service dog?"

"Yes."

"That… would definitely not have been one of my guesses." Ben looked down at Suvi and smiled. "You're even more impressive than I thought, big guy."

His eyes were dancing when he looked back up at Olivia, which was not what she had been expecting.

"I guess that means Italian might be a better option than steak. Less tempting."

"What?"

"For dinner," Ben added.

Olivia was stunned and at a complete loss for what to say. In her wildest dreams she wouldn't have received that kind of response, and she was having a hard time understanding it since it didn't make any sense. He still wanted to take her out to dinner? Why? And why hadn't he asked her why she had Suvi? It was usually the first thing people who didn't know her asked. She didn't fit the more traditional profile of a service dog owner. Simply looking at her, there didn't appear to be anything outwardly wrong most of the time.

"That's it? You're just worried about where to take me for dinner?"

"Yeah. I figure if there was something else I needed to worry about you would have already told me."

"How can you be so okay with this?"

"How could I not be? So you have a service dog, Olivia. That doesn't change who you are."

In her mind it did. Even if he was right and having a service dog didn't change her it definitely would change any relationships she ended up in. How could it not?

"Ben… of all the women out there, why me? Especially now."

"Because I love your dog," he returned with the smile she always associated with him teasing.

She rested her hand on her hip and lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, so that's not the main reason. Neither is the fact that you're gorgeous."

Olivia sighed and shook her head, a small smile on her face. Ben read her response as exactly what it was: disbelief.

"I'm serious."

"There are a lot of other women out there that would put me to shame, Ben."

Ben's eyes flickered slightly. She seriously though that? From the look on her face she did, though he couldn't see why.

"I wouldn't agree with you there, but okay. Now will you let me take you out to dinner?"

"Ben…"

"Olivia, you're smart and kind. You have this smile that lights up everything around you, when you let it. I've seen it come out every so often. Let me get to know you better. Dinner tonight."

"I still don't think this is a good choice."

"Let me make that decision. Seven o'clock. Bertrolli's. You know it?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll meet the two of you there."

"Not everyone is as accepting of service dogs as you seem to be you know. Especially restaurants."

"They don't want Suvi there we'll take our night someplace else. You may be stubborn, but I'm not going to give in on this one."

Olivia smiled softly at him.

"Seven then."

"Great. Now I need to run or I'm going to be late." He glanced at his phone for the time. "Literally run. I'll see you tonight."

Olivia didn't get the chance to say more than a fleeting goodbye before he was gone. After he'd vanished she was still trying to process what had just happened. Finally she looked down at Suvi.

"I guess we have a date tonight, Suvi."

A date. It had been a long time since she'd been on a date. Hopefully she could still fit into one of the dresses she hadn't pulled out of her closet in ages. Despite her reservations about the evening, it would be nice to wear a dress again that wasn't completely professional. If she could find something that looked nice on of course.

* * *

_Author's Note: The last upload for this round will be tomorrow. I wish I could say the next upload will come fast, like I did last time even though it didn't quite work out that way, but coaching has taken over my life. We'll just have to see what happens._


	13. Chapter 13 - The Truth is Hard to Tell

Chapter Thirteen – The Truth is Hard to Tell

Olivia brushed her hair away from her face and looked at herself in the mirror once more. She'd decided on a sleeveless dark purple dress that fit surprisingly well. It clung to her body but not to an uncomfortable extent. She'd switched out her usual necklaces for something a bit more delicate, though still simple. Her hair was still too short to do anything fancy with, and she'd kept her make-up relatively light. Olivia smoothed her dress down her sides and sighed. What she saw in the mirror was probably as good as it was going to get.

"What do you think, Suvi?"

He was camped out in the doorway of the bathroom. His pale fur was smoothed back and wispy from all of the brushing he'd had earlier that day. While Olivia always kept him looking nice enough to go out in public and walk into any store, she'd spend extra time with him that day. It showed too.

Suvi lifted his head off the floor and wagged his tail. Olivia was going to take that as approval. Hopefully Ben would agree with Suvi's assessment.

"Alright, buddy. Let's go."

Vest and leash secure they headed out of the building and hailed a cab. When the cab arrived outside of Bertrolli's Olivia spotted Ben waiting nearby. She paid the cabbie and stepped out, Suvi at her side. Ben nearly did a double take when he saw her.

"Wow, that... is not what I was expecting."

Olivia looked down and rubbed her thumb along the edge of Suvi's leash.

"You look amazing, buddy."

Ben knelt slightly and ruffled Suvi's ears, shocking Olivia. She definitely hadn't thought Suvi was the source of Ben's surprise. When Ben stood up he shocked Olivia again.

"And you look beautiful."

A tiny smile spread across her face.

"Thank you."

"Actually believe me this time, huh?"

"Maybe."

"I hope you don't mind, but when I called to make us a reservation I told them about Suvi. I was hoping it would make the evening easier for you if you knew they would let you in."

"I don't mind. I've actually done the same myself sometimes. It's not necessary, but it does save some trouble."

She was becoming more comfortable with going places without giving warning of Suvi's presence, but it could still be unsettling. If she was planning on going anywhere bigger than a café or small restaurant she usually called ahead. Maybe at some point she would feel comfortable enough to walk into a well-known establishment without warning, but she wasn't there yet. Getting into a fight about whether or not she could enter always ruined an evening.

"That's kind of what I figured," Ben replied.

"Smart guy."

"Despite what I may look like, I have a lot going on up here," he told her as he tapped lightly on his forehead.

"Amazingly enough I did know that."

"See? I knew you were smart."

With that said Ben turned and opened the door for her. Olivia walked in and was pleasantly surprised to find that while the restaurant was obviously nice it wasn't at an excruciatingly high society level. It was more than appropriate for a first date without overdoing it, and the food should be good but affordable. As they were led to their seats Olivia took the place in. The clientele was somewhat mixed in terms of age and the types of groups dining together, but she didn't see any families. It was obviously more of a date night or professional meeting place. Once they were seated Olivia settled Suvi under the table next to her feet. He would be close to her and out of the way of passing servers that way. It wasn't long before they put in their orders, Olivia choosing iced tea and a seafood alfredo while Ben went for sprite and lasagna.

"You know, I wasn't completely sure you were going to show up tonight," Ben told her when they were alone again.

"If I had decided not to come I would have called first."

She couldn't blame him for considering the possibility though. It wasn't like she'd been overly enthusiastic about the prospect of dinner. In fact, one of the reasons she'd agreed in the first place was because she knew she could back out later.

"Good to know I would rate a phone call," he teased lightly.

"Ben, it has nothing to do with you personally. I just…"

"It's okay, Olivia. I've known you're hesitant pretty much since we first met. The fact that you're giving me a chance is a gold star in my book."

"You do have low standards."

"Hardly. I just know I'm up against someone that isn't going to make anything easy."

"Nobody ever said I was easy to deal with."

"Hey, sometimes the best things are the hardest to get."

"You keep surprising me," she told him softly with her head bowed.

Every time she threw up a roadblock or he found a bump in the road he overcame it. He didn't just blast through like most would though. His methods were much more creative. Somehow he managed to dance around her roadblocks and leap frog over the bumps. It was actually working too.

"With two brothers and a sister I've learned to be creative. And, like I said before, I see things differently."

"I noticed."

She'd thought she'd started to figure him out, but at every turn he was proving her wrong.

"You and your brother looked like you were really close."

"Cole would definitely be the sibling I'm closest to. We've been close since we were kids even with the age difference." He shrugged. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Ah, no. It was just me and my mom growing up."

She was willing to give Ben bits and pieces of her childhood, but most of that would stay under wraps. Ben had just shouldered one of her larger pieces of baggage. Handing him something else so soon would not be a good idea. He may have taken the news about Suvi well, but he didn't know everything about her disability. She simply couldn't count on his understanding continuing unabated.

"Were you raised here?"

"From day one. You?"

"Jersey. My parents and sister still live out there."

"Wanted to be a city boy, huh?"

"We all did for different reasons. You grow up seeing the city across the river…" He shrugged.

"All you thought it would be?"

"It's New York. There are always surprises, good and bad."

Before Olivia could ask him more about that, their meals came. They slipped into more of a silence as they ate. Discussion drifted in and out, but Olivia still found herself laughing from time to time. She should have expected as much. The meal was really one of the few times they'd had a long, personal discussion. She'd learned a lot about him, some of it expected and some not. He loved basketball, still participated in family holidays (some of which he even did the cooking for), and had an eclectic taste in music. He'd nearly been to more concerts than she'd been to movies and could remember most of them too. It was rather remarkable.

"I'm really impressed," Ben told her as he put his fork down.

"With what?"

"Suvi. He hasn't fussed all night. I don't even think he's moved."

Olivia smiled softly. When she'd first gotten Suvi and had finally been comfortable with taking him out to places where he needed to be still for long periods of time she'd been impressed too. He rarely even fidgeted once she ordered him to lie down and wait.

"He hasn't," she confirmed.

"Hasn't tried to beg for food either. Jerry is pretty well trained, but that doesn't stop him from begging."

"He begs at home, but it's more subtle than you would expect. No noise or pawing, he'll just watch you very closely."

"Waiting until you're not looking to steal something?"

"No, he knows better. Of course that doesn't stop him from doing exactly that with blankets."

"Walk back into the room and find your spot claimed, huh?"

"Sometimes. Usually my spot is still open but the blanket I'd left on it has been relocated."

Ben grinned.

"I can see him doing that. Bet he isn't the least bit apologetic either."

"No. More satisfied."

"How long have you had him?"

"A little over a year."

A year. That meant that whatever challenge she was dealing with had been present for at least that long. He would guess it had been longer than that though. She couldn't possibly have gotten Suvi right away. Ben wanted to ask her more so he would understand what she was facing, but he really didn't know how. Navigating with Olivia so far had required a very gentle touch. That was when he had considered the ground he was walking on safe. To ask what he wanted to now would mean walking into a minefield. It would be incredibly easy to upset her.

"I get why you're so close then," he replied instead of treading into dangerous territory.

Ben may not have asked, but Olivia knew he wanted to. She could literally read it on his face like a glowing neon sign. The fact that he hadn't said anything about it yet was honestly a bit surprising. Ever since she'd told him about Suvi she'd expected an onslaught of questions. If the fact that Suvi was a service dog hadn't sent him running then chances were at least decent that the answers to his unspoken questions wouldn't either. That knowledge didn't make it much easier to discuss with him. Even if he didn't ask and she didn't share though, her seizures wouldn't cooperate forever.

"You can ask you know."

"What?"

"About why I need him. I can see that you want to. It's okay."

"I do, but I figure you'll tell me what I need to know and whatever you want me to know when you're ready. I can wait until then."

"And if I didn't?"

"Then I guess there's nothing I need to know."

"Again with the surprises," Olivia said with a small shake of her head. "Still, I think I'll wait until we're on our way out so you don't feel awkward having to wait for a chance to leave."

"Should I be tightening my laces just to be safe?"

Ben was joking and Olivia knew that, but the possibility of his joke becoming reality was there. She looked down and fingered at her napkin. A gentle touch on the back of her other hand drew her eyes up again.

"Olivia, I can't promise that whatever it is you are going to tell me won't scare me, but I can promise it won't scare me away."

"You can't be sure of that."

"Yes I can."

"Ben, you really don't know me that well. You don't know what you're getting into."

His fingers slid from lightly touching the back of her hand to curling around it. A calculated risk but one he felt comfortable making. The risk brought him a gentle smile from Olivia in return.

"That may be true, but I'm still going to wait."

It was safer that way for both of them. She wouldn't be any more comfortable dealing with the likely awkward silence that would follow than he would. Waiting until later would provide them both with a fast yet polite getaway if needed.

"I can wait until after the check."

He wouldn't have to wait long anyway since they'd both finished their meals. After the check had arrived and Ben had paid they all stood to leave. Ben watched in amazement as Suvi picked up the end of his leash and handed it to Olivia without her needing to say a word. He'd never seen this calm, completely professional side of the dog before. Suvi had always struck him as a happy, playful, and loving pet. The loving happiness was still there, but he no longer looked like he had barely restrained energy. He was walking placidly beside Olivia despite everything going on around him.

They threaded their way through Bertrolli's, and Ben held the door open for Olivia and Suvi as they walked outside. Together they headed down the street. Ben could tell pretty quickly that she was becoming more and more tense. Unfortunately he had no idea how to turn that back around again.

"Hey. Forget telling me anything. It's already upsetting you, and I don't want that."

"And I don't want you to give me an out right now."

She grabbed his arm and led him as far to one side of the sidewalk as she could so they were out of the way. Gathering her courage, she rested her hand on Suvi's head automatically. Before she could talk herself out of telling Ben the truth she blurted it all out.

"I have a seizure disorder from a serious head injury that happened a little over two years ago."

Ben forced himself not to react right away despite the million questions he had bouncing around in his head.

"Not so hard, huh?" He caught the tiny smile on her face before she looked down and he smiled as well. "They must not be too bad if I haven't seen you have any."

"They're moderately managed, but I have to admit that it was mostly luck. I'm really just as surprised as you are that I haven't had one in front of you yet."

"And I haven't run away yet. You are lucky."

Olivia rolled her eyes and started back down the street without warning. Ben ended up needing to jog a few steps to catch up with her.

"Now look who's running away," he teased.

"If I were running you wouldn't have been able to catch up."


End file.
